Captured
by Gem588
Summary: The prequel/sequel to "Smile." So...what was River doing with all those captures, anyway?
1. Before

P>**Disclaimer:** The wonderful _Firefly_ characters and the good ship Serenity all belong to Joss Whedon, or Mutant Enemy, or Fox, or whoever actually owns them, and that person or entity is definitely not me. Written for amusement purposes only. No copyright infringement intended or implied.

Any OCs belong to me, I suppose, unless any of the above-mentioned would like use of them. Fair is fair.

**Rating:** T This a continuation from the _Jane Eyre_ prompt fic, _Smile_.

**Captured **

**Passage/Quote #1:**_ "I had not intended to love him; the reader knows I had wrought hard to extirpate from my soul the germs of love there detected… He made me love him without looking at me."_

River sat on the edge of her bunk, staring down at the small capture screen clutched in her lap, her face reflecting back at her in the shiny dark square. It felt hot, as if the plastic, metals and other components were affected by what was contained within. She couldn't control the tiny smile of wonder that lifted the corners of her lips. Her lips…she touched her fingertips to them, almost in disbelief. They still felt tender, and the brush of her fingers reawakened the sensation of his mouth moving against hers. The capture…the capture had it all. Their first kiss… She lifted the slim frame against her pounding heart, thinking back, attempting to trace the path that had led to that moment, that incredible, heart-stopping moment in the kitchen.

It had all begun so innocuously...

After Wash's death, as River gradually assumed more and more of the pilot's routine duties, she had begun to have regular interaction with the loose social network of pilots and programmers with whom the gregarious Wash had communicated: trading information, hacking tips, nav tricks, and gossip. Even though they were saddened by the loss of one of the most popular members of their circle, they quickly warmed to River, and decided to take her under their collective wings. Over the course of the last year, River had become something more than acquaintances with several individuals, and in one young female pilot, whose handle was Gadget, she had found her first friend.

Gadget was an attractive young woman of twenty-three, with a mischievous smile that flashed frequently across her coppery-brown face. She flew the _Herne_, a Veeg 80-10 salvage scow, three times the size of a Firefly, with a crew of sixteen. Her father was the ship's mechanic, and she had lived on ship with him since she was six years old. Her captain was a shrewish, frugal little man with the patent misnomer of Captain Mirth, who had been only too happy for his mechanic's daughter to take over when the latest pilot, dissatisfied with the meager pay, had left abruptly for a better gig. One of the first things that Gadget and River had bonded over was the discovery that neither of them was actually certified to fly _anything_.

River and Gadget waved each other at least once a week, and often more frequently than that. River hadn't realized how enjoyable it would be to have a friend like this, someone who had no previous knowledge of her and accepted her at face value. As far as Gadget knew, River had followed her brother to his post as ship's medic on Serenity, discovered an aptitude for flying, and, out of necessity, was given the opportunity to pilot after Wash's tragic death. As they got to know each other better, Gadget would send captures of her ship and crew; her pranks and other funny happenings; candid captures such as the one of Captain Mirth having a meltdown over the missing sugar cubes from the mess. And the ornate little castle that Gadget had built with the sugar cubes, sporting little paper flags that read "Gadget" and "Rivet," her nickname for River. River enjoyed these glimpses of life on the _Herne_, and tried to reciprocate with equally amusing stories, but she wished that she could return the favor and show Gadget what life was really like on Serenity.

When Simon and Kaylee had asked her what she wanted for her nineteenth birthday, the first and only thought she'd had was a capture of her very own, although she wasn't certain whether or not they would be able to obtain one this far out. Inara had finally acquired one through a sister Companion, and River was touched when the captain made an impromptu detour in order to retrieve it in time for her birthday. River would never forget the moment they presented it to her, wrapped and adorned in a floppy red bow, shining faces hoping that she would be surprised.

Kaylee's capture had been broken beyond repair during the crash on Mr. Universe's moon, and River had never really had the opportunity to use one before. As she practiced, drifting around the ship during her free time, she found it strangely reassuring to record the mundane moments of their lives. It was additional documentation that all she saw and heard was real, that it had actually happened.

She was better after Miranda, but not whole, and she still suffered from frequent nightmares. Even during the day she sometimes experienced brief, jarring flashes of horror as even more memories, of the Academy, of what had been done to her…and _by_ her, surfaced in her consciousness. Alone in her bunk she would replay her captures of the crew: working, bickering, laughing… Reliving the daily interactions of her motley, newfound family was very calming for River. Each night she would choose a different capture, and doze off to images of Kaylee chattering away while tinkering with the engine; Simon's dry lecture on the importance of properly categorizing pharmaceuticals; Inara meditating, long lashes fanning her cheeks, tendrils of smoking incense curling through the air beside her glossy head; the captain cleaning his gun, educating her (unnecessarily) on each step; or Zoë's rusty laugh as she and the captain exchanged an old war story.

She was a little surprised that her favorite was one of Jayne: propped against the wall at the top of the open ramp, guarding the ship, waiting for Mal and Zoë to come back from a deal proposal that had sounded suspiciously too good to be true, especially when there'd been rumors of rampant shipjacking in the area. He'd held Vera loosely in his hands, her barrel burnished red and gold in the horizontal rays of the setting sun, his face shadowed by his hat brim. It had been very quiet at their remote landing site, with only the sounds of the evening insects humming in the air to break the silence. There had been a timeless beauty, and an aching tinge of loneliness, to the scene. And then, bored, Jayne had started to whistle, a low, oscillating sound that was pleasant and somehow reassuring. On the nights when River fell asleep to that capture her dreams were guaranteed to be tranquil and her sleep undisturbed, because she knew Jayne was there, watching.

River remembered the nervous debut of her little vid for Gadget. Gadget had taken great pleasure in being able to view the ship and much-discussed crew for the first time, and River had basked in her friend's complimentary comments on all that she saw. They had been watching the vid together on a split screen, snickering over a scene of Simon and Kaylee throwing horseshoes in the cargo bay and not being able to keep their hands off one another, when suddenly Gadget had given a theatrical gasp and said, "Who in the hell is _that _guy?"

"That's Simon," River answered, puzzled, thinking she had made that clear.

"Uh, no, _behind_ Simon…you know, the great, big, gorgeous hunk of man?"

"What?" River said, suddenly uncertain.

"The duck that's all kinds of tasty…doing the chin-ups?" An exasperated note entered Gadget's voice.

"You mean _Jayne_?"

"_That_'s Jayne?" Gadget stared at her from the wave screen. "You told me he was old!"

"Well, he is…older." River's eyes honed in on Jayne in the background, her face heating up slightly as she realized that while recording she must have inadvertently shifted over and centered him in the frame, leaving Kaylee and Simon off to one side. He was hanging from the handles he'd attached to the underside of the catwalk, legs bent at the knees, ankles crossed, huffing slightly as he executed a series of muscle-bulging body lifts.

"Older, yeah, but not _old_. You gave me the impression that he was a crotchety, mean old cuss!" Gadget complained dramatically, her eyes averted as she studied the image of Jayne exercising.

"Not wholly inaccurate. He can be _very_ crotchety, and _extremely_ mean," River replied defensively, feeling strange. Trying to remember exactly what she had said about Jayne. Was it possible she had never mentioned his clipped goatee, sable-brown hair, deep blue eyes and overall…largeness?

"You been holdin' out on me, _gong zhu_!" Gadget laughed, still gazing avidly at the capture of Jayne. "I shoulda known you wouldn't have any ancient geezer as your hired gun, with all the cargo you haul. Huh! If I were you, I'd be all over him! He ever show any interest?" she finished in a speculative tone.

River gave a sniff of amusement, thinking: _Only in how much he money he could be paid for me_. But Gadget didn't know about their checkered history. "I irritate him."

Gadget gave a whoop of appreciation as she watched Jayne finish his reps, drop lightly to his feet and come forward, providing an up-close image. He was gleaming with sweat and breathing a bit harder than normal as he passed the capture, purposefully ignoring it, an ill-tempered scowl twisting his features.

"See?" River's voice had an almost wistful undercurrent, and Gadget looked at her curiously, a little smile twitching her lips.

"But the question is: _why_ do you irritate him? Go back and look at that vid again. He knows you're capturin' him…I think he's even showin' off for you!" Gadget grinned.

"Showing off, quite possibly. For me? Unlikely." River refuted that swiftly. "He merely finds me annoying. And there_ is_ a large discrepancy in our ages."

"Oh, you're right. I didn't think of that. An older man and a younger woman gettin' together…that could never happen," Gadget mused, tongue planted firmly in cheek.

"Even if I _were_ interested, which I emphatically am not, it's more complicated than that," River said edgily, wondering how they had strayed into this ridiculous conversation. "He's…inconsiderate, and crude, and...untrustworthy."

"So he's a man, then?"

"Simon is a man, and he displays the opposite of all those traits," River pointed out.

"No, Simon is a _saint_…and a saint would bore me stiff. Kaylee's a lucky girl, but I want a guy that's a little _meatier_, if you get me. I like a bit of rough." Gadget winked, her golden hazel eyes gleaming.

"Then Jayne's your ideal…the perfect model," River murmured. She felt a little twinge at the thought of pretty Gadget and Jayne as a couple. It would be very inappropriate, very…wrong. She wouldn't want to subject her friend to that. River was suddenly glad that Gadget was light years away.

The capture scene had changed to a virtual tour of the passenger quarters and Gadget's interest flagged. "So you got any more vid of my model?" She prompted gaily. "I could watch me some hired gun all day. He exercises, he perspires, he sneers…what else does the shiny gun-bot do?" she teased.

River couldn't help but giggle in return. "He eats."

"I'll bet. Gotta fuel that engine! I think I'll need to see some sample vid of everything in hired gun-bot's preset program before I order one, though. I'm disappointed in you, Rivet…an experienced sales rep would have all that on file already: eating, sleeping, working, fighting…" Gadget lifted a wicked eyebrow at River. "Kissing."

River laughed again, an odd little thrill running through her. "That's one thing you'll never see from Jayne. He doesn't believe in it."

"Oh…" A thought occurred to Gadget. "He ain't sly, is he?"

"No! I mean… all evidence indicates the contrary. The explanatory anecdote states that a prostitute incapacitated him by applying a narcotic to her lips before initiating osculatory overtures."

"Oscula- _what_?" Gadget frowned, but she had long gotten over any embarrassment at asking River to explain what she meant. "Dumb that down a bit, hon."

"He was robbed after a criminal ploy known as the 'goodnight kiss.'"

"Gotcha! Yep, that still happens," Gadget allowed, nodding thoughtfully. "As a matter of fact, last month Johnny – the claw operator, not the cook – was in this saloon on –" She looked away suddenly, startled. "Ruttin' hell, gotta go, cherub. Here comes Cap'n Jolly. Probably wants to know who short-sheeted his bunk…a classic! You get to work on that sales pitch, you hear, and wave me _lots_ more vid of the gun-bot!" She winked at River and signed off.

River sat back, shaking her head with a perplexed smile at Gadget's request. Idly, she returned to the capture of Jayne doing the chin-ups. He appeared fit, and powerful, and very…striking. _Gorgeous_, Gadget had said. That he had drawn Gadget's attention was not completely beyond the realm of possibility, she supposed.

Jayne was impressive at first glance, River conceded, but if Gadget could experience the _real_ Jayne her little fantasy would surely wither on the vine. River chuckled, suddenly inspired. If Gadget wanted Jayne, she'd get more Jayne than she knew what to do with.

And that was how it had all started. Documenting Jayne's various activities became a joke, a game, and a challenge. As River waved her additional captures, Gadget would consult her imaginary list of requirements and pretend to tick off each entry.

River had generally tended to think of Jayne as coldly selfish of his time, his personal space, and his possessions. As she devoted more and more effort into following what he actually did, she began to realize that impression was not entirely accurate. One could certainly never accuse him of _volunteering_ for extra tasks, but he went about his routine business with casual competence, and, for all his blunt impatience, he _was_ quietly dependable; he _was_ social; he _was_ an integral part of the crew. She collected captures of him working with the others, playing games, laughing, sharing stories… She recorded him sitting at the dining room table, an old-fashioned pen dwarfed in his big hand, replying to one of his mother's letters in his spiky scrawl, and including a healthy sum of cash in the packet. River acknowledged, somewhat reluctantly, that there was more to Jayne than the consumption of comestibles and an aptitude for physical violence.

She waved more vids to her friend, always ending the session with the ones featuring Jayne, and watched and listened in fascinated bemusement as Gadget provided a half-teasing, half-admiring commentary on all things involving the "gun-bot." Almost without realizing it, River began to look forward to her capturing sessions when Jayne was the object of her recording, as she found herself wondering what new aspect of himself he would reveal through the lens of the capture.

Gadget liked the video of Jayne doing the pull-ups, and she _loved_ the one of him playing his guitar, but her very favorite was…

"Puppy!" Gadget pouted, pushing out her lower lip, her eyes large and pleading.

"We've seen that one at least three times," River teased, feigning surprise. "Are you positive you won't be bored? Are you _sure_ you can bear it again?"

"Bear it?" the other girl gave a slight snort. "I want it running on my wave screen in a continual loop. _Puppy_!"

River suppressed a smile and scanned for the vid. She wouldn't have admitted this to Gadget, but that particular capture was second only to the capture of Jayne whistling in the sunset on her list of personal favorites.

"Puppy, it is," she murmured, not quite sure if she was indulging Gadget or herself.

Mal had agreed to a meeting with Badger, and decided to arrive at Eavesdown a few days early in order to restock and run checks on the ship's subsystems. Kaylee determined it was the perfect opportunity to perform some routine maintenance on the landing gear as well, and enlisted Jayne's help in the task. As she and Jayne began working outside, a very young, half-starved dock mongrel, attracted by the sounds of banging and power tools, had trotted up and made it his mission to alert everyone in the vicinity that these interlopers had dared make themselves at home in his particular territory. Kaylee tried to befriend the small animal, but every time she approached, the pup would dodge away nervously and bark even more aggressively.

After the first ten minutes of ignoring the relentless barking, Jayne started swearing at the puppy, throwing things at it to frighten it away, and yelling at it to shut the hell up. River hadn't captured that, but everyone on the ship heard it. Sensing entertainment would follow, River started the capture when Jayne marched up the ramp, declaring that he was going to silence that mutt if it was the last thing he did. Kaylee came tearing in after him, yelling determinedly, "You shoot that poor little thing over my dead body, Jayne Cobb!"

The small, dirty, black-and-grey speckled pup followed them and was skittering back and forth agitatedly at the edge of the ramp, claws clicking on the metal, yipping incessantly.

Jayne gave the pup a deadly look, gave Kaylee a dismissive one, and loped up the stairs.

Kaylee stared nervously at River, who continued taking the capture.

"You don't think Jayne's actually gonna get a gun, do you?" She turned then to the captain, who'd chosen that moment to appear around the corner from the common area. "I think Jayne's gettin' a gun, Cap."

"That's crazy talk, Kaylee. Jayne…with a _gun_?" Mal's tone was droll.

"You gotta stop him, Cap, he's gonna shoot that sweet little dog!" Kaylee gestured to the animal on the ramp, who paused only briefly in his yipping to lift his leg against the hydraulic arm. Once finished, he resumed barking with vigor.

Mal stared at the dog for a beat, sucking his teeth, and then back at Kaylee, who looked at him with a beseeching expression.

"Well, ain't ya gonna say somethin' to Jayne?" she demanded, wide-eyed.

"'Course I am," Mal answered decisively, folding his arms and rocking back on his heels, his voice rising to clear the yapping: "Jayne, you are takin' a gorram long time to get back down here and put a _bullet_ to that wretchedly beast!"

"Malcolm!" Kaylee protested, putting her hands on her hips.

"Let it go, Kaylee," Jayne reappeared, and River raised the capture to show him coming down the stairs. "Said I was gonna shut it up, not shoot it." He was talking around a carrot sticking out of the corner of his mouth, and carrying some plastic bowls, some packets of protein, and a bottle of water.

"Oh," Kaylee said, relieved, "You meant you were just gonna _feed_ him. But what's the carrot for?"

"It's my magical dog-quietin' carrot." Jayne rolled his eyes. "What do ya think it's for? Been a long time since breakfast." He got one hand up and crunched off a bite.

"It's enough that I waste my hard-bought rations on _you_, Jayne, much less that worthless mutt," Mal snorted, but there was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes as he ascended the stairs to the catwalk. He gave River and the capture a surreptitious wink.

River watched as Jayne walked down to the edge of the ramp and dumped food and water into bowls for the dog. The puppy raced back and forth, yelping and whining frantically as he smelled the food, obviously wanting to come over and dig in, but intimidated by Jayne's presence.

"Come on, then," Jayne rumbled, crouched by the bowls. He pushed them a few inches out. The puppy finally darted in, grabbed a mouthful and retreated, eyeing Jayne nervously as he gulped down the protein. Jayne calmly crunched his carrot. After the pup had devoured his stolen portion, he edged back in, and this time, he stuck his face in the bowl and ate rapidly, still glancing up at Jayne with suspicion. When Jayne continued to show no particular interest, the puppy seemed to relax. _Just two buddies, chowin' together. _The puppy began eating so ravenously that Jayne had to hold the bowl steady. When the pup seemed to tolerate that, Jayne reached out slowly and put a passive hand on the pup's back. The dog started, calmed, and then wagged his spindly little tail and continued to eat. Jayne gave the pup a few gentle pats.

When the pup was done with the food, he drank the cool water in huge whuffs, and then lifted his dripping muzzle. The puppy looked at Jayne. Jayne looked at the puppy. The pup gave one sudden, happy bark, and then dove at Jayne, licking at his hands and wriggling around Jayne's knees. The pup wagged his tail so hard the whole rear end of his body vibrated back and forth. _You…friend._

Jayne gave a reluctant laugh, and knuckled the dog behind the ears.

Inara came down from her shuttle in time to see this, joining Kaylee and River at the top of the ramp. The three women watched with amused expressions as the puppy flung himself on his back, inviting Jayne to scratch his belly.

"Wouldja look at that," Kaylee giggled. "Didn't know Jayne could be so good with animals."

"I do believe it's love," the companion remarked, as the puppy flipped back over and jumped repeatedly at Jayne, trying to scramble onto his lap.

River felt her heart squeeze with a sudden, powerful beat. She stared at the big man, who was still smiling faintly at the little animal, thwarting its exuberant advances with careful hands. This was certainly something new from Jayne. The over-excited pup clawed sharply at him, whining for more attention.

"That's enough, now," Jayne said in cool, stern voice, and the puppy settled down immediately, going down on his haunches, tongue lolling in a friendly puppy smile, tail still swishing back and forth. Jayne glanced up at Kaylee. "Ready to get back to work?"

"Sure, charmer," Kaylee grinned, starting forward. "So ya like dogs, huh?"

"For dinner."

"Oh, go on. You have pets growin' up?"

"Some…huntin' dogs…didn't you?" Jayne answered briefly.

Still chatting, they went around the ship, the puppy trotting jauntily at Jayne's heels. Inara and River shared a delighted look, captivated by the puppy's personality.

Inara had been correct; it _was_ love. For the next three days the puppy followed Jayne around like a shadow whenever he was off-ship, and watched vigilantly for him at the bottom of the ramp whenever he wasn't. River captured Jayne petting the puppy, throwing a stick for him, and roughhousing with a knotted-up piece of rag. Her very favorite part of the vid was Jayne, dozing off against the ship while waiting for Kaylee to finish rewiring a panel, one knee bent, the other stretched out, and the puppy's head resting on his thigh. The puppy even ran behind the mule when the captain and Jayne went to meet with Badger, until he finally had to give up, panting, and return to Serenity, where he curled up in his usual spot and waited patiently for Jayne to return.

"You comprehend that animal is not boarding this boat when we leave tomorrow," Mal warned Jayne during one of the puppy's frequent feeding times, a little alarmed at the growing attachment between his hired gun and the dog.

"Yup," Jayne agreed easily. "I'll handle it."

The next morning, a few hours before they lifted off, Jayne hauled a tub out and gave the dog a boisterous bath, revealing a surprisingly lustrous coat and pleasing pattern of black and white spots. Between that and the regular meals, it was almost hard to believe it was the same scrawny animal that had yipped at them so furiously that first day.

Jayne had fashioned a fairly attractive collar from a worn leather belt and even a lead from some old chain. River watched as he took the puppy by the lead and went over to a little group of the urchins who patrolled the dock. Some of them sold small items such as fruit and candy to new arrivals; some were beggars, some pickpockets. They might be savvy dock rats, but they were still children, and they were attracted by the well-fed, well-groomed young dog. River saw Jayne gesture at the dog, at the ship; she saw something metallic flash in his hand. The children gathered around eagerly, entertaining and distracting the pup, feeding it something from a small bag Jayne offered. After a minute, Jayne handed the lead and the dog treats to one little boy and walked off toward the station with a wave. The urchins waited until Jayne was out of sight, and then they dashed away as a group, talking and laughing animatedly, the puppy gamboling off with them, barking excitedly.

A few minutes later Jayne reappeared at the ramp, glancing back at where the children had been and giving a satisfied nod. He noticed River in the cargo bay, but sidled up leisurely, offering no explanation.

"You gave that little boy your dog," River said softly as he passed her, a strange turmoil in her heart.

Jayne paused, a wily little grin lifting one side of his mouth.

"Not exactly. Told the kid it was the best dog ever and gave 'im a bit to watch the pup for me whiles I ran to get some smokes just before we lifted out. He scrammed pretty fast."

River was surprised.

"You knew he would steal it?"

"I was countin' on it," Jayne laughed, low in his throat. "It raises the value of a thing."

"How do you know that he won't just take the money and abandon the puppy?" she frowned.

Jayne shrugged philosophically.

"Got a feelin'. I had the bit wavin' around in my hand while I talked…most all of 'em were lookin' at me and the cashy money. So I picked the kid who was starin' at the dog."

"That was very…perceptive of you," River said slowly.

Jayne moved over to the con panel and hit the button to bring up the ramp.

"Well, seems to me folks got a tendency to keep their eyes on what they really want," Jayne glanced back at her.

"I suppose that's true…" she murmured in agreement. She experienced a prickle of confusion, sensing that he was focusing on her very intently all of a sudden.

Jayne's gaze shifted down leisurely to the capture held loosely in front of her, one eyebrow arched in speculation. River followed the movement of his eyes. When she looked back at him blankly in return, he shook his head a little, chuckling, and sauntered away.

River blinked. _Wait…had he been implying… did he really think that she…_? A sudden warmth crept up her throat to her blossom in her cheeks, and she was very glad that he wasn't there to see it.

"What _is_ it about a man and dog?" Gadget sighed, chin in hand, after they'd watched the vid that River had edited together to show the funniest and most endearing moments of Jayne and the puppy.

River cocked her head in consideration. "Anthropologically, I presume that females are attracted to a male's dominance and control over another species as an indicator of his mastery over his environment and his capability of providing adequate sustenance, shelter and protection for her progeny. Or possibly the male's capacity for forming a cooperative relationship with a service animal denotes high socialization skills, signifying that he will function well within tribal group dynamics, thus promoting her social status and benefits, making procreation more successful and thereby ensuring the continuation of the genet–"

Gadget's head drooped and she began emitting faint snoring sounds. River stopped and gave an abashed laugh.

"It is…pleasing," she allowed. Watching the vid of Jayne petting and playing with the dog _was _gratifying in some odd, intimate way. Seeing how gently, but firmly, he handled the small animal caused an uncomfortable little throb in her veins.

"So what else you got for me?" Gadget grinned. "I still haven't seen any captures of my gun-bot shooting…what kind of saleswoman don't provide proof that her hired gun got shootin' skills?"

"We can't afford to waste ammunition on target practice, and it would be impractical for me to take the capture out on jobs…I'm afraid that you'll have to take my word that he is very skillful in this area."

"Hmm. I'd still like to see him shoot that big gun – Vera, right?" Gadget giggled. "That's so cute, him namin' his guns. I guess I'll just have to hold out for that – and the kissin' vid." She winked at River.

River shook her head in exasperation. This had become a running gag. "An exercise in futility, Gadget. I'm not about to creep after him, capture in hand, the next time he visits a brothel on the remote possibility that it might be the occasion he suddenly decides–"

"Who said anything about a brothel? I bet you ain't even tried," Gadget broke in, her eyes glinting.

River stared at Gadget in disbelief. "You mean that _I_ should kiss him? He'd…he'd never…I…" she stumbled over the words of protest, a wave of embarrassment and something else…something unnerving…tangling up her tongue. "That would be…impossible!"

"Why?" the other girl asked interestedly.

"Because – it just would!" River snapped, utterly flustered, and looked over her shoulder at the entrance to the bridge, suddenly conscious of the fact that the hatch was open and anyone might overhear them.

"You _want_ to," Gadget breathed in delight. "I knew it!"

"No, I do not!" River denied vehemently. "Absolutely, positively not."

"Reminds me of when Ronny – the trawler, not the bosun – ganked my birthday box of chocolates. Up 'til the time I found the box in his bunk and glued it to the little rat's hand while he was sleepin', he swore up and down he never saw 'em. I knew it was him because he denied it a little _too_ much. Like someone else I could mention who _absolutely_, _positively_ does not want to do a certain thing." Gadget laughed and shrugged, acquiescing for the moment. "Well, you keep on telling yourself that, Rivet."

"It won't be necessary to tell myself anything, because the very idea is preposterous," River replied in a frigid tone, but she had the sinking feeling that now that Gadget had put the idea front and center in her mind, it would be very necessary indeed.

And, oh, it had been. River had found herself thinking about him all the time, pondering what might happen if she went out of her way to talk to him, or touch his arm to hold his attention, or indicate in some other way that she would be open to a physical response from him. She'd thought incessantly about what it would be like to kiss him, to be the woman whose kiss he accepted, even…desired. When she concentrated on him, she did feel something, an extremely strong awareness of her, but of all the crew, he worked the hardest at containing his inner thoughts and emotions. The closet of his mind was kept as dark as possible, and he intended to keep the door firmly closed. She was afraid that she was misinterpreting his constant battle to retain his privacy, to shield his thoughts and feelings from her, as an active interest in her. She was afraid of being rejected and humiliated.

She'd tried mocking herself, scolding herself, and viewing him through the capture lens with a more critical eye, but it was too late. She'd begun this project intending to show Gadget the "real" Jayne, and wound up educating herself in the process. She'd followed Jayne around the ship, device in hand, and with every passing moment she'd become more and more aware of him, and more and more attracted to him. Without even trying, without even really noticing or caring, he'd made her want him. She'd finally had to admit to herself that sending the vids to Gadget was merely an excuse…an excuse to do what she'd subconsciously wanted to do long before she had the capture: spend time in his company, be close to him, and have something of him that belonged solely to her, even if it was only his digitized image, a recording of his voice, or the captured echo of his laughter.

"What's new, Rivet?" Gadget asked jovially as she opened the wave channel from River. They'd fallen into a regular pattern of waving each other at a time they knew they both be on the bridge, just before the twice-weekly systems charts and standards communiqué from the feds.

"Hello, Gadget," River gave a forced smile.

"Hmmm," Gadget said, giving her a closer look. "All is not serene on Serenity?"

"No."

"Nav problems?"

"No."

"You ain't in any trouble, are ya?"

"Define trouble."

"Ah…" Gadget began delicately. "This got anything to do with a certain…gun-bot?"

River nodded unhappily.

"Tell Auntie Gadget all," the older girl gave a sympathetic cluck.

"Here…" River hesitated for a moment. "I'll show you."

They'd landed in a little valley on Beylix to offload cargo to another smuggling ship.

It was just entering the first flush of spring there, and the remote, wooded valley was beautiful. The old-growth trees and bushes were awash with greenery and blossoms, a vibrant contrast to the misty grey mountains and deep blue sky. Near the glade that served as their landing site, the long grasses and early flowers banked a picturesque stream, still full from rushing the vernal thaw down from the snow-capped peaks. The loamy scent of growing things filled the ship whenever the bay doors were open, and it affected all of them with a touch of spring fever. After the cargo exchange had gone off without a hitch and the other ship was away, Kaylee begged the captain to let them stay overnight to enjoy the scenic pleasures. To everyone's surprise, he agreed.

Kaylee immediately started on plans for a picnic dinner. Inara wandered off in search of herbs and flowers for decoration and potpourri, soon followed by the captain. Zoë, ever practical, dragged rugs and bedding down to the stream for a thorough wash, and Jayne declared that he was going to sleep outside that night, unearthing a long, tightly-woven net hammock from one of the hidey-holes in his quarters.

Simon and River were dragooned into helping with the picnic, and it wasn't until later in the afternoon, when everything was ready, that River and Kaylee wandered over to survey Jayne's little campsite and let him know the food was ready. He had strung the hammock between two tall, sturdy trees, and had arranged some large stones into a fire pit not far away.

"Why, that looks real comfy, don't it, Riv? Way bigger than mine!" Kaylee exclaimed, walking over and pushing the hammock gently, watching it sway back and forth. "Looks just like a big swing."

"We had one a these outside the house growin' up, and my pop used to swing us all the time," Jayne answered Kaylee. He glanced at River, capture in her hand as usual, and his features twitched with a combination of amusement and annoyance.

"Sounds like fun," Kaylee commented wistfully.

"It was. Hop in," Jayne grinned, "and I'll give ya a whirl."

"Really?" The mechanic's eyes lit up. She spread the netted material cautiously and clambered in. She tried to sit in it vertically, in a classic swing position, and almost tipped out backwards onto her head.

"Now that don't seem safe." Kaylee righted herself, looking at Jayne with skeptical eyes. "Although it does explain a lot. Must be how ya got dropped on your noggin when you was a young 'un." She giggled.

"Ha ha. Ya gotta get all the way in and wrap yourself up…yeah, like that." He nodded as Kaylee settled back and slithered in between the folds, like a butterfly in a cocoon. "Now I'll pull the ends over…hang on inside."

"Okay…" Kaylee sounded nervous, but excited. "You sure I'm not gonna fall out?"

"You ain't fallin' nowhere."

Jayne started out swinging her gently, just a little push back and forth, gradually increasing the velocity.

"This is nice! Can you swing me higher?" Kaylee called.

"High as you want."

"High as you can take me!" Kaylee gave a muffled laugh, and Jayne began to put some real effort into it. "I feel like I'm flyin'! Hoo-ee!"

River, capturing the moment, couldn't help gasping a little as she saw Kaylee begin to rise almost as high as some of the branches that canopied over the glade. Jayne was so strong… He backed farther and farther away as the arc of the hammock widened. River could hear the rhythmic creak of the acrylic ropes, the whoosh of the displaced air, and the high-pitched giggles as Kaylee flew past her. Swinging so high in the hammock looked both exhilarating and a little dangerous.

A bright laugh erupted unexpectedly from River's throat, and the sound made Jayne turn his head in her direction. She sent him a glowing smile of appreciation. He didn't have to do this, and Kaylee was enjoying it so much. Jayne caught her smiling at him, and seemed arrested by the sight. Their eyes met and held, even as he reached out blindly and gave Kaylee another mighty push. Something burned through the air between them. A strange, shivery sensation shot through River, something vital and new… She felt a little shaken as she acknowledged that she'd crossed the line from mere physical desire into infinitely more unsettling territory.

Kaylee gave a sudden shriek and Jayne's head snapped away. The hammock had curved so high that for a moment it appeared as though it would complete a full revolution before gravity trumped momentum and the hammock dipped jerkily and reversed back toward Jayne.

"You all right?" Jayne asked Kaylee sharply, snagging a fold and putting some drag on it, just in case that was a sound of fear.

"Don't stop! More!" Kaylee squealed, still giggling.

Reassured, Jayne pushed her off again before he looked back at River and gave a playfully arrogant wink. "That's what I usually hear from the women in my bed."

River glanced down hastily, her cheeks heating up and her knees feeling like jelly. Jayne was being suggestive and flirty…with her. That really didn't happen. He teased Kaylee like that, and sometimes, to his peril, Inara and Zoë, but never her.

"Your turn next," he invited her with a bold grin. "Ya know ya want to."

River felt as if her respiratory function had been compromised. _Oh, yes…_

A few seconds later Kaylee signaled that she'd had enough and Jayne halted the hammock by simply catching the bundled mechanic in his arms on the next upswing and arresting the pendulum action. He staggered forward a few steps, lowering the hammock gently. He parted the folds and pulled Kaylee out of the netting. The mechanic emerged, dizzy and laughing, her golden brown hair a wild, static-tousled cloud around her flushed cheeks, hanging on Jayne's arm as she got her bearings.

"Thanks, Jayne! Gosh, River, that was all kinds a shiny! Like a carny ride! Ya gotta try it!" she said enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling with enjoyment.

River looked at Jayne. She thought about his big, competent hands hard against her body as he pushed her, and those same strong hands reaching for her afterwards. The image made her feel almost sick with excitement. _You know you want to._ She did, very badly. She wanted to experience that physical sensation, that thrilling rush of movement. She wanted to fly and land in his arms. But it was too dangerous in another way…she didn't think she would be able to conceal her reactions, not when he was touching her. Her feelings were so raw, so new…her uncertainty in his sentiments toward her made the thought of such vulnerability unbearable.

"No, thank you." She shook her head, a weak, polite smile on her face, trying to remain calm enough to disguise the emotions churning within her.

Both Kaylee and Jayne seemed surprised by her refusal.

"Oh, take a turn!" Kaylee urged. "I'll even capture ya!" She started forward as if to take the small device from River's hand.

"No, really," River said firmly, taking an involuntary step in reverse.

Jayne's eyes narrowed, and she felt a rising tide of resentment within him. He had interpreted her refusal to swing as a rejection of his simple childhood pastime, an indication that this was an activity unbefitting the status of a Tam. And there was something else…she had offended him in some deeper, more complex way that she didn't quite comprehend.

"Why not? You may be core-born, but we all know ya ain't some fragile flower. That capture _does_ come outta your hand, right?" Jayne challenged her with scathing amusement.

"Of course it does. I just…don't want to right now," River said awkwardly.

"It's time to eat, anyway," said Kaylee quickly, the peacemaker, as always.

"Maybe later," River suggested suddenly, in a placating tone.

"Maybe never," Jayne snapped back with ill temper, and stalked off ahead of them.

Kaylee gave River an unhappy look, and set off down the little path after him.

River followed, subdued and upset, and wishing now that she'd had the courage to take Jayne up on his invitation. She would not make that mistake again.

Gadget was unusually contemplative after she viewed the Beylix vid of Jayne swinging Kaylee in the hammock. River had shown it to her completely unedited, and wondered what her friend would think of the events.

"He wanted you to have a go," Gadget said eventually, looking at River. "You hurt his feelings."

"Yes," River had to agree. Ever since then, he'd been even more bristly than usual toward her, sometimes almost hateful.

"And he was mad 'cause you kept your distance…kept that capture between you and him like some sorta shield. He wanted you to trust him. Kaylee does," Gadget mulled out loud. "I remember you said before that he was untrustworthy. So why _don't_ you trust him?"

River blinked, a little startled at this shrewd assessment. It had seemed almost as if Jayne had been prodding her a little bit, waiting to see whether she would put her safety in his hands.

"I do trust him _now_…" Ever since Miranda, Jayne's loyalty had never really been in question. Even Simon had come to a tolerant coexistence with Jayne. River had long understood that Jayne's lingering shame for his actions on Ariel was the underlying basis for the thorny nature of their relationship, the reason why he was never quite comfortable with her. She realized that her initial description of Jayne to Gadget had been a knee-jerk one, and that she really had no qualms about trusting him with her safety or her life. Her heart, however, was a different matter.

"Now?" Gadget raised an eyebrow, hitting on the qualifier in River's statement.

"Some things happened when Simon and I first came onboard…" River hesitated, not wanting to reveal too much, not even to Gadget. "Jayne resented our presence, especially mine. He was never reticent about voicing his dislike of me."

"Well, somewhere along the line _that_ definitely changed," Gadget stated firmly. "If Donny – winchman, not inventory control - looked at me the way Jayne looked at you on that vid, I'd be floatin' on cloud nine."

River felt her heart pound a bit faster. So she hadn't been imagining it – Gadget had seen the intensity of that moment between them, also. But even if it had existed, she'd managed to ruin it. His feelings had reverted back to the curt dislike that seemed to be the norm between them. Still…

"Do you really think so?" she looked at Gadget hopefully, a little mortified to openly admit she was interested in Jayne after denying it so vigorously for so long.

"I really do, chipmunk," Gadget reassured her kindly.

"I don't know, Gadget." River shook her head with a gloomy sigh. "The behavior he exhibited at the end of that capture is more illustrative of the true nature of our relationship."

"Wish I could see vid of the two a you together," Gadget said thoughtfully. "That would really be a help workin' this out in my mind. And then maybe you'd be able to see what _I _see."

"That's unlikely. He's become masterful at avoiding me." River shrugged. "We landed at a way station this morning to recharge the auxiliary cells and the local inhabitants were having a large market festival. We all took advantage of the opportunity to shop. As we walked, I maneuvered my way to Jayne's side and inquired if he was looking for anything in particular, just to make conversation."

"And what did he say?"

"He ignored me completely and disappeared into the crowd," River sighed. "Didn't even bother to sneer or insult me."

"Ooh…he is in a snit."

There was a moment of depressed silence.

"Did you buy anything fun, at least?" Gadget asked, obviously changing the subject.

"Some more of that rose-scented shampoo…a sketch pad…some gum," River listed the items dispiritedly. "It was more of a farmer's market. Kaylee and Simon bought fresh chicken, though, enough for everyone, I think. It's been months since we've had anything but protein, so we should have a good dinner tonight, at least."

"Well, that's something to look forward to. We haven't had fresh rations in _years_. Good ole Cap'n Bag o'Laughs don't believe in food what ain't been canned," Gadget grimaced. "Johnny the cook is more like Johnny the opener. You're lucky there's them that can cook on your ship."

"Kaylee's a very good cook – and Jayne," River mentioned, a small smile already beginning to form at the reaction she expected from Gadget at hearing this tidbit of information.

"My gun-bot _cooks_?" Gadget hooted. "Now that's somethin' I'd like to see."

"I'll add it to the list," River promised solemnly. "Shooting…kissing …cooking."

"Not necessarily in that order," the older girl winked.

River laughed a little sadly. "I'll see what I can do."

Gadget's expression was compassionate. "You need some cheerin' up, Rivet, and I got just the thing." A suspicious tilt raised the corner of her mouth.

River looked at her with wary eyes. Gadget's sense of humor had a distinctly puckish quality to it. "What is it?"

"You'll see," Gadget promised airily.

**Chapter End Notes:**

**Chinese: **

_gong zhu_ – princess

This where you might want to read Smile, if you haven't already, otherwise Part Two, when posted, might be a little confusing.


	2. After

**Disclaimer:** The wonderful Firefly characters and the good ship Serenity all belong to Joss Whedon, or Mutant Enemy, or 20th Century Fox, or whoever actually owns them, and that person or entity is definitely not me. Written for amusement purposes only. No copyright infringement intended or implied.

Any original characters are mine, I suppose, unless any of the above mentioned would like use of them. Fair is fair.

Rated T for some language.

**Passage/Quote #10:** "Gentle reader, may you never feel what I then felt? May your eyes never shed such stormy, scalding, heart-wrung tears as poured from mine... for never may you, like me, dread to be an instrument of evil to what you wholly love."

**Captured – Part Two – "After"**

River's digital pursuit of Jayne may have begun innocently enough, and at the outset it had seemed perfectly harmless, but its culmination, that incredible moment in the kitchen, had been anything but safe and bland.

Curled up in the privacy of her bunk, River finally gathered her wits together, lowered the capture screen from where she held it clasped against her chest, and touched the view command.

She watched from the beginning, when she'd been coming from the engine room and caught a glimpse of Jayne carrying the bulky sack of potatoes into the kitchen. She'd pulled the capture from her pocket, filled with amused disbelief as she'd remembered her earlier conversation with Gadget. She'd captured everything, from his exasperation when he first caught sight of her, to his irritable demand regarding her following him, to his unexpected invitation for her to join him on the other side of the counter. River's pulse jumped the first time she'd viewed herself enter the scene, looking slender and unsure next to his big, relaxed body. And when he'd touched her hair, pulling it through his fingers… that's when she'd felt it, the sudden flare of desire that had excited and unnerved both of them.

She reached back and circled her fingers around the ponytail he'd created, running her thumb across the coarse boot lace that still held the long dark strands in place, smiling helplessly. He'd tied up her hair with a boot string! That was so perfectly…him. _Tail_, she recalled, both ridiculously pleased and chagrined by the nickname. It was apt…she had been tailing him, stalking him around the ship with her capture, like a hunter following her quarry.

It was surreal to watch the capture and see herself, wrapped in Jayne's arms, eyes closed to savor every sensation, as, out of frame, Jayne's fingers teased and stroked her sensitive hands. As she viewed the first, tentative touch of their lips, River relived the burst of exhilaration that had rocketed through her body. She remembered that moment so clearly, that dizzy expectation as she had turned her head to him. She emitted a stuttering gasp, watching the gentle kiss deepen as she twisted hungrily in his arms, watching them get lost in each other. She watched their greasy hands flap around uselessly. It should have been funny, but their frustration was so obvious that it was almost painful. She still couldn't believe she and Jayne had so been absorbed in the kiss that everything else had seemed to fall away. He couldn't smell the garlic burning; she had completely forgotten she'd left the capture running. She'd thought it would be a golden opportunity, first to capture him cooking, and later, to provide a scene of them together for Gadget, so that her friend could see the way they interacted with one another. River gave a mortified little giggle. They'd certainly interacted, but Gadget would never see this particular capture.

As Jayne had turned away to knock the pan off the heating circle, she'd sensed Kaylee coming and moved away in panicked shyness, not sure how he was going to react to what had happened. She'd stood there, yammering out mundane things while she struggled to get her giddy excitement under control. Awkwardly trying to let him know she didn't want this to end there, that she wanted more, and hoped he did, too.

River let out a sigh as the capture screen went dark. She had kissed Jayne. Jayne had kissed _her_. He had broken his rule for her, because he _wanted_ to kiss her. All those fantasies she'd had about kissing him…she gave another little laugh. Sweet and slow? Hot and deep? How about all of the above? And he was proficient at it, too. No one would ever know he'd had a self-imposed kissing moratorium. He had kissed her, touched her hair, caressed her skin, and indicated it wasn't enough. She thought of the gleam in his eyes as he'd stared at her across the counter afterwards. He had looked hungry, predatory, and she had been weak-kneed and breathless. River realized that it had only taken that one instant, that one kiss, to turn the tables quite neatly…and she was no longer the hunter, but the prey.

Dinner that night had a celebratory feel to it. The fresh food was delicious, and Jayne…River had never seen him like this, so lighthearted, as if he'd been reborn as someone…well, nice. His ebullience was noted by the rest of the crew, and they teased him about it, finally attributing it to the morning out and the especially tasty meal. River could feel it pulsing through the room…Jayne was happy, and his personality was forceful enough to influence them all. When his eyes rested on her, fleetingly, like tiny, weightless caresses, River knew, with an elated rush, that he was happy because of her.

It was Kaylee's turn for clean-up, but the goodwill of the meal had spilled over into dessert, fresh, icy cold watermelon, the captain and Zoë's contribution, and beyond. They all crowded into the kitchen and pitched in, even Inara, and River found herself standing at the counter next to Jayne once again, on dish-drying detail. They worked in silence for a while, oblivious to the cheerful banter floating around them, exquisitely aware of each other. They touched hands as they passed along serving pieces to Kaylee to put away, and the small whispers of skin on skin caused the tension between them to escalate, until finally Jayne spoke.

"Since the potatoes were such a hit, thought ya might be interested in co-llaboratin' on somethin' else." He tilted his head toward her, but kept his voice low and his eyes on his work.

"What - what did you have in mind?' she asked breathlessly, glancing up at his profile: the bold arrowhead of a nose, the pale curve of his lower lip.

"Up to you." A slow smile creased his lean cheek.

River found herself blushing, and he shook with silent laughter.

"Can't come over so shy now, not after things got all…slippery… earlier," he murmured, purposefully letting his arm brush against her bare shoulder as he wiped a plate with a towel.

River experienced a tremor of reaction and their movements slowed and stopped simultaneously. Her fingers gripped the edges of the plate she was holding so tightly that she thought she might crack it in two. The strain of keeping her hands off of him was almost intolerable.

"I suppose – we should…talk." River cast him a quick glance.

"Yeah, _talk_," he agreed, still amused.

"Hey, quit holdin' up the line, you two!" Mal shoved a stack of dripping dishes across to Jayne as a subtle hint.

"I'll be on the bridge after we finish," River said in an undertone, her voice thick with suppressed feeling. She put the plate down for Kaylee and reached for one of the bowls.

"Just might wander over that way myself, then," Jayne answered calmly, but the expression that flashed across his face was far from tranquil.

"River, you got a minute?" Kaylee asked.

"Ah, I was just –" River hadn't moved quickly enough. She'd felt Kaylee moving in her direction and had tried to duck away so that she could get to the bridge.

"Come on over to the engine room for just a sec. 'Member how we was talkin' about improvin' the firing at lift-off? Well …" Kaylee began nattering on about mag coil efficiency, but River could barely hear her because inside she was too busy screaming a frustrated, "NOT NOW!"

River loitered desperately near the stairs, nodding distractedly at Kaylee as she talked, searching for a glimpse of Jayne. They had all scattered after the clean-up, with Simon, Zoë, and the captain deciding to play a game of tall card, agreeing to meet in the common area so that Simon could monitor an experiment in the infirmary at the same time. When Jayne had surprisingly declined the fourth seat and disappeared in the direction of his bunk, they'd cajoled Inara into sitting in for a few hands.

"Well, ain't ya comin'?" Kaylee asked.

"I've got to be on the bridge at 20:00 hours. The updated astrophysical data is on relay wave from Alpha Prime...all the planetary traffic schedules…the most recent docking codes and fees…if I miss the transmission we'll have to wait until the next cycle…" River hedged, wondering if Jayne had already gone to the bridge.

"You got ages yet." The other girl glanced at her, slightly puzzled.

"It's my responsibility, Kaylee," River persisted weakly, knowing that her excuse was a lame one.

"No problem – the captain'll catch it in the sittin' area…that way he'll get a chance to try out his shiny new toy in there," Kaylee chuckled. They'd recently installed an access panel to the cortex in the common area as an amenity for passengers.

"Still…"

"Oh, this won't take no longer than a flea's ear, honest, but just in case…." Kaylee moved to the opening that led to the catwalks and shouted, "Hey, Cap, River wants to know if you'll take in the wave from A-Prime if it comes 'fore she gets back to the bridge!"

"I don't wanna do those calculations. What am I payin' her for?" Mal shouted back from the common area, from the tone of his voice clearly put out.

"'Cause she's pretty?" Kaylee winked at River. "And 'cause River's worked it so's all ya gotta do is press the screen once?" She took pity on the captain. "And 'cause I need her in the engine room for important engine-y business?"

"Oh…all right," Mal's grumbled response echoed hollowly from below.

"See? All taken care of," the mechanic said cheerfully. "Now, I'm thinkin' that this reconfigure could save us maybe two to three minutes 'tween cold ignition and initial thrust…" Kaylee headed for the engine room, expecting River to follow.

River still lingered, looking over her shoulder, hoping that Jayne had heard that exchange, but she saw no movement down the passage to the bridge, and she was unable to sense his exact location. She turned to follow Kaylee, so disappointed that she felt close to tears. Was he there already? Was he waiting, wondering where she was? River longed to go to the bridge. It was there that the parameters of their relationship would be defined, and it was there that their relationship would truly begin. That spectacular kiss in the kitchen could be explained away, blushed away, even laughed away, if necessary, as a spontaneous event spawned by proximity and curiosity. But for them to come together on the bridge…here, now… that would be planned. That would be deliberate. That would be…_real_.

River could have agreed to paint Serenity pink and add floppy-eared bunnies to the engine for all she knew. She'd just nodded and said yes to whatever Kaylee proposed, hoping that enthusiastic and unconditional concurrence would shorten the explanatory phase. It really didn't matter; she trusted Kaylee implicitly when it came to the inner workings of the ship. River might be able to quantify and articulate Kaylee's ideas in a more scientific manner, but Kaylee's instincts and mechanics were preternaturally sound. Kaylee liked to keep her informed out of a sense of camaraderie or professional courtesy, but River rarely had any significant additions or revisions to Kaylee's plans.

Her eager consent was for naught, however, and Kaylee insisted upon going over each modification in thorough detail. River had escaped as soon as it was decently possible. The second she was out of Kaylee's sight, she'd broken into a mad dash that ended abruptly at the sight of the open hatch to the bridge. He might be there, waiting for her. River stopped for a moment, trying to catch her breath, her heart pounding. Slowly, she approached the opening, and looked inside.

Empty. River's excitement level plummeted, and she went in and drifted about forlornly, wondering if he'd left a note, or indicated in some way what he expected of her, but there was nothing. Maybe he'd changed his mind. Maybe he thought she'd changed hers. She sat down, putting her fingertips to her temples and concentrating on him. She tried to feel her way through all the varied thought patterns of the crew, the thrum of Serenity's systems… His mental configurations were dark, deceptively simple, linear…and…close. She sensed him approaching and the rhythm of her breathing accelerated. Even though she was expecting it, and even eagerly anticipating it, River still started slightly when she heard his step as he ducked through the hatch.

She clutched the edge of the con panel with sweaty hands, both dying to and extremely nervous of turning to look at him.

"You…busy?" he asked nonchalantly, but she could hear the undercurrent of amusement in his voice. River felt an answering giggle bubble up in her throat. Was she busy? She darted a glance over her shoulder and he was there, right _there_. He swallowed up the room, big, but perfectly proportioned, limbs both heavy and sleek with muscle. A silvery warmth tingled through her at the sight of him.

"Terribly busy," she answered, very seriously, teasing him a little in return. "And I'm waiting for someone."

He hadn't been expecting that and paused for a second, frowning and unsure, trying to read her expression. Then he caught the gleam in her eye and she saw him relax.

"Anyone I know?" he ambled forward, playing along. He crossed his arms and idly contemplated the distant stars through the view screen, as if this were just a casual conversation, but she could see the smirk flirting at the corner of his mouth.

"Unlikely. I just encountered him this afternoon," said River, suppressing a smile of her own, looking down at her instruments, flicking switches and pressing commands, to all appearances too distracted to attend to him.

"_Him_. A man, huh? What's he like?"

River pretended to ponder.

"He's tall," she mentioned in a neutral tone.

"Mm," he gave an amused grunt.

"And strong."

"Good to have one if ya got t'other," he nodded sensibly.

"And handsome, if one is partial to that type," River tapped her lip thoughtfully.

He attempted to quash his smug expression, with little success.

"What type is that?"

"Rough… roguish … arrogant…" River gave an indifferent little shrug that belied her inner exhilaration. _Powerful…exciting…a little dangerous…_ There was a thrilling tension to this sort of banter.

"So are ya?" He eased around and leaned back against the console, arms still crossed, pecs and biceps bulging, almost right in front of her. He smelled clean and vaguely minty. River's cheeks flushed and her mouth was suddenly dry.

"Am I what?" she asked blankly.

"Havin' a partiality?" he grinned a little, as if he knew.

If the debilitating ache that swept through her could possibly be described as anything as lukewarm as _partiality_ then she definitely did. Had. Was. Whatever. His muscular thigh was only a fingers breadth away from her right hand. She wanted to touch him _so much_… River met his gaze, flustered, and saw he charmed by her feminine confusion.

"I have insufficient data to make that determination," she said shyly.

Jayne made a strange noise, half-laugh, half-capitulating groan, and reached for her. His hands slid beneath her arms, curving firmly around her upper torso. River felt his strength as he lifted her out of the chair without any apparent strain. He spread his thighs a little, settling back, and pulled her into the space he'd created. River's pulse began to beat unevenly as she was urged against his big, warm body, and she clutched his upper arms, nervousness and desire a tumbled mass inside of her.

"I been waitin' and waitin' to touch ya like this…" he murmured.

"Only a few hours!" she protested weakly, as his hands stroked from the hollow between her scapulae to the small of her back. River found herself arching helplessly as he pressed her forward. She was dimly surprised at how naturally her body fit to his, as if they were designed for one another.

Jayne gave a gruff chuckle. "If you say so."

River looked back at him with dazed eyes.

"This has been comin' on for a long time…" Jayne moved his hands in wide, soothing circles, although River could sense his banked excitement.

"Has it?" she asked in a faint voice, experiencing sensory overload at his nearness and the effortless sensuality of his touch.

"Am I wrong?" he countered, raising an eyebrow.

No, he was not wrong. _A long time_…perhaps longer than either one of them had really known.

She remembered watching him in the early days, how casually he moved, how efficiently he worked with his weapons, how competently he handled such deadly things. Sometimes, when reality had receded and it seemed that everywhere she turned the world was filtered by crazed, azure-tinted glass, he had been the one unyielding spot of clarity. Large, solid, and obstinate, he'd served as a reliable conduit back to reality and reason. She'd thought he was the one who might understand about the Blue Hands, the one who might listen and _know_. She'd been trying to recruit him when she'd slashed him with that knife, trying to bring him into her world in a way that seemed logical to her feverish mind. Even after he'd backhanded her to the ground she'd remained hopeful. _Better in red_. Red like Mars, the god of war. Red like anger, which could pour from him like a flood. Red for heat, and energy…a chromatic contrast to cold, calculating blue.

After Ariel, when Simon had a better grasp of her medical needs and she began to emerge, in fits and starts, as _River_ once again, her estimation of Jayne had been forced to take a different path. He was merely human, after all: fearful and weak, resentful and…guilty. She was not only betrayed, but disappointed, and her immature fascination with him took a bitter turn. It was not until his unexpected empathy with her on Miranda and his stalwart support during the battle with the reavers that the tentative reversal of her disillusionment had begun. As she'd grown a little saner, and a little older, she'd been better able to understand him, and gradually, to want him, and finally… to love him.

River took a deep, steadying breath, prepared to let honesty rule, and admit that he was a long way from wrong.

The incoming wave signal beeped loudly, startling her. Jayne ignored it, winding his arms around her, one hand sliding up into her hair. The irritating cheep increased in volume, as it was programmed to do. He searched her eyes, and apparently satisfied with what he saw there, he angled his head to hers, very slowly, as if savoring the moment.

"I should get that," River whispered, her eyes locked on his lips, so near her own.

"Forget it," he whispered back. "Captain'll get it."

"But he's wondering why I'm not," River reported uneasily, so close to him that she could feel the mist of his breath on her skin.

"Maybe you're still in the engine room, maybe you're gettin' a drink from the kitchen…maybe you're _busy_ –" Jayne snickered a little.

"River?" They heard Mal's irritated voice echo through from the dining room, and his footsteps as he stamped up the stairs from the common area. "Where are you?"

River's eyes widened in panic and she moved back with a reflexive jerk. Jayne's hands tightened, holding her in place. He stared at her with an urgent question in his eyes. River realized with a shock that a part of him welcomed the thought of the captain seeing her in his arms.

She shook her head a little wildly, wanting everything more established between them before adding on the stress of the crew's reaction to their relationship, which was likely to be unenthusiastic, at best.

"If you're in there, open the gorram channel! The com panel below ain't workin' right – I think it's gotta come through here first!" Mal's voice got louder as he came down the passageway.

With a frustrated growl, Jayne let her go and straightened up. River moved over to flick the switch that opened the receiver, accepting the wave. The annoying beep subsided, leaving a brief silence in its wake. She looked up apprehensively as the captain marched in. Mal stopped, surprised at seeing Jayne standing edgily near the co-pilot's seat. His gaze shot back and forth between them. He realized he'd interrupted something, he just wasn't sure what.

"What's goin' on, Jayne?" Mal asked in a deceptively mild tone of voice.

"Nothin' much," Jayne muttered, and River detected a slight rancor, directed at her.

River was so tense it took her a second to become fully aware that instead of the usual computer-generated message that normally prefaced an incoming transmission from the federal authority over the cortex, there was an odd, upbeat, jangling tune gradually increasing in volume. Over that, a forcibly nasal but alarmingly familiar voice twanged out cheerfully, "Federal communiqué AM-618 is being brought to you this evening by-y-y-y…Gadge and Rivet's Gun-Bot Showcase! The finest man-bots and gun-bots in the known 'verse! Tonight's special…the Jayne-3000!"

River's eyes locked on the cortex display in horrified incredulity. Jayne and Mal both turned to the wave screen in confusion, just as a colorful backdrop appeared, displaying bubble-headed caricatures of Gadget and River and the garish logo of "Gadge and Rivet's Gun-Bot Emporium, **Est. 2350**." A crudely animated cut-out of Jayne, obviously culled from one of River's captures, danced jerkily across the bottom of the screen.

"What the hell?" Jayne's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. "This is comin' from the _Feds_?"

River, briefly immobilized by the bizarre awfulness of the moment, could only stare along with him.

"If you're in the market for a versatile gun-bot, look no further!" Gadget's voice continued. It sounded to River as if she'd been pinching her nose while she was talking. "The Jayne-3000 is programmed and equipped for multi-functionality!"

The screen changed, varied images of Jayne flowing rapidly from a central point, showing him unloading cargo, stowing the mule, lifting weights, playing hoopball, inspecting his weapons, hoisting the heavy steel grating over the exhaust system for Kaylee, scratching his crotch, stacking boxes of supplies, scrubbing out the head, and the capture of him on guard on the ramp of the ship.

"And that's not all! Shootin', cookin' and _ro_-mancin' programs available shortly!"

River felt her mouth form the words "oh, no" and moved forward to shut it off, but Mal grabbed her arm to prevent her, his eyes glued to the screen. The captain gave a single, astonished guffaw.

"Whatever your needs, the Jayne-3000 is at your service! And don't forget to view our full line of Jayne accessories!"

River cringed at the flashes of knives, cigars, the stuffed turtle that sat on his bunk, his dumbbells, the rain stick, the guitar, the _puppy_…! And then the voice-over sang out with sly glee, "And speaking of equipment, it's long…it's thick…it fits perfectly in his hands…Jayne's _favorite_ accessory…"

"Jesus, god, let that be referrin' to Vera," Mal choked out in a heartfelt tone, straining to hold back his laughter.

Jayne turned to look at River, teeth bared, expression accusatory and beginning to seethe with anger.

"…a double action Callahan specially modified for Jayne's use. The Jayne-3000, our finest in gun-bots. Fully articulated, fully realized, fully responsive. Anatomically correct! All the attributes of a real man, with none of the inconvenience! Shop any time! We guarantee satisfaction!" Suddenly Gadget's voice lowered in tone and she murmured rapidly: "Some assembly required. Batteries not included. Purchaser assumes full liability; seller not liable for damages due to use or misuse of this product, including disfigurement, amputation or death. Keep out of reach of children. Offer void where prohibited by law."

There was a gay little coda, "Gadge _aaaand_ Rivet's!" before the transmission ended with a crackling hiss. River could hear clapping, pounding and hysterical laughter rolling up from the common area. The captain must have left the channel open down there, and the rest of the crew had seen Gadget's faux advertisement, as well.

Gadget's grinning face popped up on the screen.

"How 'bout that, Riv? Ain't that just what you needed?" she giggled excitedly. Her face grew perplexed as she took in River's stricken expression and gazed past her. She encountered Jayne's furious stare and the realization of what had happened sank in. "Oh, crap on a cracker," she offered feebly.

"I'll communicate with you later, Gadget," River forced out. She shook off the captain's hand and cut the wave. She turned apprehensively to Jayne, hoping to find the right words to explain.

He eyed her coldly, and then shook his head in disgust. "All them captures…and it was just some stupid joke," he remarked acidly. "_Documentin' activities_…right…ya went to a lotta fuckin' trouble…a lot…" he gave a low, cutting laugh, "…settin' this up." His features held something close to hatred. "Hope it was worth it." He turned on his heel and stalked out. River had never felt such a crushing wave of dark emotion from him before, such a cascade of intimate pain and regret.

"Jayne!" she called after him, the tightness in her throat causing her voice to break. She took a step, and stopped. How was she ever going to convince him that none of this had been premeditated? She felt cold, and sick.

"What you did was wrong, River," Mal said reprovingly.

"I know. I know! I violated his privacy! I humiliated him! I had no right to do that to Jayne!" she admitted, twisting her hands together in distress, unsure of what to do.

"To _Jayne_? Oh, hell, no. That was funniest thing I seen in years. But in one of those shots I definitely saw a flash of _my_ crew loadin' and unloadin' contraband in_ my_ clearly recognizable cargo bay, and while you were havin' your fun it seems to have slipped your mind that there's a slightly _illegal_ aspect to our chosen line a work!"

River regarded Mal in bafflement. What was the possible importance of any of that at this moment? And then, over his shoulder, she caught sight of her capture lying in a small nook on the console. Tears scalded her eyes. It was monstrous that the very instrument that had facilitated her growing love for him had caused him so much hurt. Her mind blazed awake. _The capture…the capture had it all._ She darted past the startled captain and picked it up.

"The markings were on the far side of the containers. They could have been anything," she answered him distractedly. She pivoted toward the door, just as the wave signal began to beep again, no doubt with the genuine fed transmission.

"Hey! I am yellin' at you!" Mal complained. "And what about this wave?"

"Answer it!" she snapped over her shoulder in exasperation, winced, and then added quickly, "Captain."

He had not gone to ground in his bunk, as she'd suspected he would. She bolteddown the steps into the common area, swaying to a stop as she saw him sitting at the card table set up outside the infirmary. His arms were crossed, his jaw was clenched and his blue eyes were stony as he sat through the expected ribbing by the women.

"Don't think I can deal you in, Jayne," Zoë was shaking her head in regret, her dimples deepening as she tried to hide her grin. "Didn't see any tall cards on your list of accessories. Don't think ya got that program loaded."

"Anatomically correct!" Inara recalled merrily. "That reminds me of the anatomically correct prostheses we use at the training house to instruct the new initiates. In other words, not all that…shall we say…_challenging_…"

"Keep it up, go on, just get it out," Jayne said sourly. "I got time."

Kaylee giggled from her flopped down position on the couch, and then waved at River.

"Gosh, River, that was funny. No wonder you was in such a hurry to get back to the bridge. Was that your idea, or Gadget's?"

"Not mine," River responded tensely.

Jayne's nostrils flared as he glanced over and encountered River's tentative, pleading look. He got up abruptly.

"Never mind the cards. Had my fill a games, anyway," he snapped, and headed further into the interior of the ship.

Simon came to the door of the infirmary, stripping off a pair of lab gloves. His eyes lit up as he saw his sister and he stepped out, blocking her path.

"I didn't realize _that_ was the reason you were taking so many captures of Jayne," he chuckled. "I actually thought –" he broke off with an embarrassed laugh, shaking his head a little.

"What?" River asked impatiently, her eyes trailing Jayne.

"Simon thought you might have developed a…_xiao re ai_…for Jayne, a small _tendre_," Inara explained slowly, contemplating River's distraught expression. River could feel surprised realization dawning in the companion's mind.

River felt a flush of annoyance mixed with despair.

"You were incorrect," she informed her brother fiercely, circumventing him and the table to follow after Jayne. "There is absolutely nothing _small_ about it!"

"River?" Simon was taken aback at her blunt pronouncement.

"Wait! Are you sayin' ya _like_ Jayne, or ya _don't_ like Jayne?" Kaylee demanded in excited curiosity, scrambling to her knees, but River ignored her and kept going.

"Jayne!" River called after him, and saw him turn abruptly into one of the old lockers, converted into a passenger cabin. Jayne had hidden her and Simon in there once, years ago.

"It wasn't what you think!" she stated determinedly, following him in.

Jayne just gave her a disgusted look, moving around restlessly, as if trapped and wondering why he'd come in here, anyway.

"Yes, I took the captures…but not to mock you, or embarrass you…I was unaware Gadget was copying them and I had no idea that she intended to use them in this fashion." River tried to calm the quivering mass of anxiety in her chest. If only he would listen –

"My ass, you didn't!" he flared. "_I'll be on the bridge after we finish_," he quoted her furiously. "You got me up there, right on cue!"

"That was _not_ intentional. I took the captures of you because I _liked_ taking them. I liked showing them to Gadget because she talked about you…she could say all the things that I wouldn't allow myself to say. Oh, don't you understand? You called me Tail earlier, and that was true. I _was_ tailing you, searching for you, and then… and then…I found you." River's voice lowered. "I discovered you, Jayne, through the lens of this capture. Whether it was writing a letter to your mother, or laughing at the puppy, or working with Kaylee, or playing your guitar, through the capture I was able to see you…to _really_ _see _you…and then, to see _us_…" She held up the capture, willing him to comprehend what she was saying, but he was still too angry.

The sight of the capture incensed him, and he slapped the device out of her grip. He sent it flying across the room to land on the foot of the bed, where it bounced precariously toward the edge of the coverlet.

"I had enough a you and your bullshit pranks. I ever see that capture, or even hear the word again, I will _end_ you!" Jayne snarled.

River lunged to the side and snatched up the capture just as it tumbled over the lip of mattress, only narrowly preventing the possibility of serious damage.

"Look!" she commanded passionately, whirling about to confront him. "_Look_!" She slid her thumb over the view command on the capture and held it up in front of him, screen forward. Jayne's eyes shot downward unwillingly, ready to smack it away again. River braced for the blow, but his attention was arrested by what he saw. His fist lowered and the blaze of his anger faded away as he realized what he was watching. Transfixed, he reached for the capture and took it slowly from her hands.

"This is…disgusting!" She heard her own tiny, excited declaration, and the low murmur of Jayne's response. A few seconds later the sound of their voices ceased, and Jayne let out a long, slow breath as he viewed the events on the capture unfold.

"Does that look as if it were some kind of _prank_ to you? Does it?" River whispered painfully into the silence. Not even Jayne could misinterpret the overpowering sensuality of that moment in the kitchen. "Is that how it _felt_?"

Jayne lifted stunned eyes to hers for only a fraction of a second before he tossed the capture heedlessly to the middle of the bed and stepped forward. His big hands cupped her head and he jerked her closer, and then River was swept away in the hot hunger of his kiss. The press of his mouth was inflexible, insistent, and threaded with residual resentment and anger. This was a kiss with intent, and River understood its meaning. Jayne was proving he wasn't an image on a capture, remote and under her control. This was reality, now, and he was master here.

At last, his mind calmed, and his touch began to gentle. The roughness and brute strength subsided as he accepted River's tender, reciprocal kisses, and there was a moment of pure, exhilarating communion – pleasure given and taken - before he finally lifted his head away from her. River's eyes drifted open hazily. She reached up to stroke her fingers across his cheek, the slightly rough coating of his beard rasping agreeably against her skin. They studied each other, unguarded, for the first time completely without concealment or artifice, and smiled slowly at what they saw.

"Close your mouth, Simon." Refusing to relinquish the dizzying warmth of Jayne's blue gaze, River directed her words to her flabbergasted brother, standing in the doorway.

"Close the _door_, Simon," Jayne ordered in a gravelly voice, still looking down at River.

"River, is – is this really what you want?" Simon stuttered.

"Yes," she said clearly, and Jayne's smiled deepened devilishly at Simon's squawk of denial.

"I hardly think either one of you has consi –" her brother began in his best lecturing voice.

Jayne rolled his eyes in irritation. Keeping one arm around River, he leaned over and slammed the hatch in Simon's face.

"Never could take a hint," Jayne growled.

The clash of the door closing reminded River of the last time she was closeted in this room with a man. She laughed a little, wondering if Jayne would remember his long-ago threat to show her his "man-parts." She gave a pleasurable little shiver. There was every indication he intended make good on that promise in the near future.

Jayne clasped her by the waist and pulled her close again. River lifted herself to her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his back as far as she could, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against the taut bulge of his pectoral. She slid her hands across the thick sheet of muscle that defined his back, charting each curve and ridge, reveling in the feel of him, strong and secure in her embrace. She held him, and was held by him, and it was right.

"That ad was pretty funny," he conceded reluctantly. "Would have been funnier if it was Mal."

"Gadget was only trying to cheer me up…you've been so annoyed with me since Beylix. She didn't know about the…the cooking lesson." River rubbed her cheek against his shirt, quietly enjoying the thought of their first private joke. "I'll have to ask Gadget to include potatoes on list of the Jayne-3000's favorite accessories."

"I been thinkin' on somethin' else to put on that favorite accessory list," Jayne teased, toying with a lock of her long hair.

"What?" There was amused expectation in her voice.

"Jayne's own personal girl-bot," he murmured. "She pilots the ship, she paints, she quotes crazy-ass poetry…and here's the best part…she gets delivered nekkid."

River sputtered out a laugh, and looked up at him shyly.

Jayne smoothed suddenly unsteady hands through her hair, scooping it up and pulling it to one side of her neck, edging under the collar of her blouse, where his fingers encountered the thick, ochre-colored boot string that she had looped around her throat. He gazed at her, both astonished and pleased at the symbolic gesture, and flexed his thumb around it. He tugged it gently, almost experimentally.

"You're hooked," he grinned.

"Caught," River agreed softly.

"Lassoed," Jayne offered, lowering his head, pulling the string taut, guiding her closer, inch by inch.

"Snared," came River's next breathless contribution.

"Hog-tied."

"Fettered."

"Shackled."

"Hoist by my own petard," River smiled.

"Oh, now ya ain't playin' fair," Jayne protested.

River's eyes slid to the capture lying in the middle of the bed, and she smirked up at him impishly. She opened her mouth.

"Gorramit, I meant it!" he warned her, laughter in his voice, knowing what was coming.

"Cap-" she began, but she never got to finish the word, because Jayne tightened the boot string just enough to bring her mouth to his.

FIN

**Chapter End Notes:**

**Chinese:**

_xiao re ai_ – small affection, crush

**A/N: **Will there be an epilogue? Oh, probably! Thanks for reading. Gem


	3. After That

**Author's Chapter Notes:**  
This takes place at Jayne and River's wedding, but it's really Gadget's tale. After being so awfully helpful, she deserves a happy ending of her own!

**Disclaimer:** The wonderful characters and the good ship Serenity all belong to Joss Whedon, or Mutant Enemy, or Fox, or whoever actually owns them, and that person or entity is definitely not me. Written for amusement purposes only. No copyright infringement intended or implied. Any original characters are mine, I suppose, unless any of the above would like to use them. Fair is fair.

**Rating:** E

**Captured **

**Jane Eyre Quote/Passage #2:** "Reader, I married him."

Gabrielle Padgett, nicknamed by her father at birth as "Li'l Gadget" - the "Li'l" having dropped off mercifully somewhere along the way - hovered half-way up the steps of the small, simple building on Beylix, tugging nervously and ineffectually at the hem of her best (only) skirt. She was pretty sure she had the right time and the right place, and peering through the lower portion of the clear glass doors did confirm that an event of some sort was underway, but it was a bit harder than she'd thought to just waltz by herself into an assembly full of virtual strangers. She glanced back over her shoulder at the sound of approaching footsteps. Well, not _quite_ by herself.

"_This_ is the location of a federally-mandated lecture on navigation?" Connor Mirth demanded crustily as he came up behind her, having parked the _Herne_'s land vehicle in the small dusty lot down the road apiece. He looked around with suspicious eyes. "In a _church_?"

"Um…Cap, the thing is…" Gadget hemmed, giving him an optimistically winsome smile. This was the moment she'd been dreading. The only way to convince the captain to send the ship to Beylix had been to concoct a fictional seminar on inter-orbital navigation. He had insisted on accompanying her, ruining all her carefully constructed plans. Gadget decided this was exasperatingly ironic: through all those years she'd harbored her hopeless, teen-girl crush on Connor Mirth, one of her favorite fantasies had been the two of them going off on a dirt-side holiday, with a pretty little wedding chapel not unlike this one featured prominently at the conclusion.

Her captain stared at her narrowly, and then contemplated the info-crystal in his hand. His grip tightened spastically around the slim stick as the truth hit him. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, his lips moving silently as he prayed for strength. When he opened them, his keen gray eyes were not sparkling with happiness.

"This is all _go se_, isn't it?" He shook the crystal at her. "The course specifications, the federal certification number, the registration fees…! My God, you made the whole damn thing up!" he exploded, tossing the crystal to the ground with force, where it shattered against the flagstone path.

"I worked really hard on that!" Gadget exclaimed, looking down at the remnants with dismay. "It took over a week!"

"I should have known you wouldn't pull out the skirt for some lecture. Out with it! What are we _really_ here for?" He pushed a hand through his short, silvery hair in exasperation.

"Well, you see…" Gadget began in a placating voice, but he didn't let her finish.

"This is shiny! Just great!" he interrupted stormily. "You _do_ realize that _I _have superiors, don't you? You _do_ realize that I'm going to have to justify the course deviation and the fuel expense to the corporation, to the _Guild_ …! I'd dock your pay if it wouldn't take until the end of the next century to clear the debt. This is the limit! The limit! Why did I think that giving _you_ any additional responsibility was going to end in anything but humiliation and aggravation for_ me_? Ever since I walked onto that ship six years ago you've been a thorn in my side, stabbing away! So why are we really here, _Gabrielle_? Why did you give me such a hard time about coming with you? Tell me…are you meeting someone here? A man? Is that it? I mean, the skirt! The heels!" He gestured at her slender legs and gleaming stilettos accusingly.

Gadget stared at him in astonishment. She'd never seen him quite so beside himself, not even when she'd posted that phony distress call from the cathouse on Tri-Vega and it had ended up with half the crew drunk or missing in action for two days.

"Yeah, that's it. You found me out," she nodded guiltily, her golden-green eyes downcast in apparent shame. "I'm meetin' a man. For a lewd, erotic encounter. In a _church_."

The captain made his patented noise of frustrated impatience with her, and Gadget could tell he was annoyed with himself for losing his composure. Normally, she reveled in this moment, because it showed that she'd gotten his attention, if nothing else. She watched as he closed his eyes again and pinched the slender bridge of his aristocratic nose, wondering if she'd gone too far this time.

"_What_ -_ are_ - _we _- _doing_ - _here_?" He demanded in a tight voice, each word an individual salvo of aggravation.

"Hopefully, shuttin' the hell up so's I can get married," came a tough growl from behind them. The couple turned to encounter a large man clad in a dark suit standing at the top of the stairs, one hand propping open the glass door, the other tugging irritably at the gray silk tie knotted high beneath the snowy white tips of his collar. He stared down at them with a hostile expression.

Gadget's mouth dropped open. From the captures she'd known he was big, but in person, at this angle, compared to her petite nearly five foot two, he was…_way_ big.

"Get goin' and find a seat, pocket-size," Jayne indicated Gadget with a jerk of his head, stepping out and holding the door open wider. "She don't wanna start without ya."

"But… this was s'posed to be a surprise…how did she even know I was here…?" Gadget asked in flustered tone, trotting obediently up the small flight of steps.

Jayne's mouth twisted into a brief smile as he shrugged. "She knows."

Gadget paused as she reached the entryway, letting her eyes travel up from his gleaming shoes to the top of his head, his dark brown hair slicked back and groomed neat like a good little boy on his way to a visit with grandma. The rakish goatee pretty much spoiled the angelic look, though. Goodness, he was a right trick! Just the kind of man a girl should want. Tall and muscle-y with a dangerous little smirk – none of that trim elegance and carping, snooty disapproval.

"It's nice to finally meet ya, Jayne," she said engagingly, beaming at him with irrepressible good humor.

He contemplated her with arctic blue eyes.

"Just 'cause she likes ya, don't mean I got to." He gave an obstinate shake of his head.

Gadget sent him a cheeky wink. "Trust me, you will," she promised, clacking eagerly past him into the foyer, not completely steady on her sharp heels, her large purse bumping at her hip.

Jayne heaved out a skeptical grunt, and turned impatient eyes to the lean, crisply-uniformed man still planted at the foot of the stairs.

"Who in God's name _are _you?" Connor demanded, standing his ground.

"The groom," Jayne snapped back. "You comin' or not?"

Captain Mirth gritted his teeth and shook his head in ironic acceptance.

"I suppose I am," he muttered. "Dammit."

"Blessed matrimony!" Connor leaned over to hiss in Gadget's ear, watching the couple exchange their vows. "Poor bastard. Caught and killed." He sat with his arms folded in ill-tempered protest, still put out at the turn of events. He and Gadget were sitting to the far left side of the little altar, away from the rest of the assembled guests, having slunk in self-consciously when everyone had turned to the doorway, expecting the bride.

"Shh! I'm capturin' this!" Gadget whispered in a repressing tone as she made minute adjustments to the capture's viewfinder. "Besides, he appears fairly happy to be caught." She smiled, tears springing into her eyes, as Jayne swept River close for their first kiss as man and wife.

There was a spontaneous burst of clapping from the small audience. River, clad in a long, embroidered dress of deep red, twined her arms around Jayne's neck as he lifted her against him. Her small bouquet of flowers drooped haphazardly over his shoulder, vibrant against the sober dark suit.

"Kiss! Check! _Finally_," Gadget commented softly to herself, giving a weepy burble as she held the capture higher. She wiped the moisture from under her eyes and sniffed.

"Oh, quit your sniveling," the captain sniped under his breath.

"I guess when I get as ancient and dried-up as you, I won't have feelin's anymore, either," she sniffed even more pointedly. She could never stop herself from poking at his age, but usually he ignored her jibes.

This time he turned to look at her with irony in his eyes. "Age has nothing to do with my ability to refrain from imbecilic histrionics," he said, and then added, in a somewhat chillier tone: "I'm only thirty-five, you know, hardly ancient." But he grudgingly removed a starched white linen handkerchief from a starched khaki pocket and handed it to her so that she could mop herself up.

Gadget looked at it in amazement. Who carried around a handkerchief? Connor Mirth, that's who. Too cheap to spend money on disposables, probably.

"It's hard to remember, 'cause your hair's all white," she whispered, then blew her nose as quietly as possible, relieved to see that she wasn't the only one crying. "And 'cause you got no sense of humor." She shoved the handkerchief back at him and he folded it and pocketed it with long-suffering distaste.

"My hair's been going silver since I was seventeen. It happens to all the men in my family," he informed her stiffly. "And I _must _have a sense of humor. I haven't thrown you in the brig yet, have I?"

"You're just afraid my dad will quit on ya," she shrugged.

Connor sighed under his breath. "Gabrielle…"

There were catcalls and scattered laughs as River and Jayne's kiss went on and on, until the shepherd coughed and cleared his throat a number of times, and the dazed and smiling couple broke apart and turned their attention outward. Jayne lifted River's hand to his lips as they acknowledged the new round of applause.

"Yeah…poor man," Gadget commented with a quiet chuckle. "Look how he's sufferin'."

"Gadget!" Kaylee squealed, rushing over to her. "C'mere, c'mere!" She'd obviously been waiting for Gadget and Connor to arrive at the ship for the reception. "I'm Kaylee, you know that, right? Where'd you guys go? River was worried your cap wouldn't let ya stay for the party!" She waved over Gadget's shoulder at the glowering, but resigned, captain standing a few paces behind her. She leaned in and whispered, "Hey! He ain't bad-lookin'!"

"Just bad-personalitied," Gadget whispered back, and winked.

Kaylee almost dragged her over to the remnants of the receiving line, where River and Jayne were greeting a few laggard members of the Cobb contingent. Kaylee wormed her way to the front and pulled a breathless Gadget in after her.

"Gadget!" River cried out gladly, her eyes lighting up. She stepped forward and the two women fell into each other's arms, laughing and talking excitedly. Gadget saw Jayne glance over at them and shake his head a little, tolerant amusement in his eyes.

"Thank you so much for coming!"

"I'm sorry I hung things up, but so glad I was there to see it! You look beautiful, pigeon! And so happy you're like to burst!" Gadget gave her friend an extra hard squeeze. River did look beautiful in her bridal dress, the dragon and phoenix symbols gleaming gold and silver against the heavy crimson of the cloth.

"I am – you know I am." River looked as if she couldn't stop smiling.

"Hell, yes, I know. Worked hard enough for it, didn't I? From the first time I saw him, how you moved the capture to record him, I knew how it was," Gadget joked to cover her tears.

"You certainly did." River laughed a little tearfully herself. "I still can't believe you're here – and Cap'n Jolly, too! I've only ever seen glimpses of him in the captures – and heard him vocalizing his displeasure in the background. He's not at all what I anticipated."

The three women turned to examine Connor Mirth, who was still standing near the entrance, looking aloof and vaguely disapproving of the merriment going on around him.

"I was just sayin' that he's real handsome, with that olive skin and silver hair," Kaylee nodded. "Look at those Cobb cousins starin' at him!"

Gadget's brow puckered suddenly. Two tall, voluptuous women were indeed staring at Connor with interest, obviously discussing him with simpering approval. One of them was actually kinda pretty. Gadget realized she hadn't seen her captain with a woman for years – ever since he'd quit romancin' that lady bursar at headquarters. Her frown deepened.

"They ain't prissy enough to attract him," she said, but there was a nervous flutter in her voice.

River's expression sharpened as she looked from Gadget to Connor, and a sudden, mischievous smile dawned upon her face. She exchanged a knowing look with Kaylee, and they both laughed. Gadget glanced back at them, startled.

"You been holdin' out on me, _gong zhu_," River mimicked Gadget's words, grinning.

Gadget felt her face go warm and she stammered, "I don't know what –"

"Come upstairs with us," River took Gadget's hand. "I'd like to take my hair out of this braid and get out of these shoes, and you can see the bridge! And we need to have a talk, Gabrielle."

Gadget blinked. "Now, how did you know – the only one ever calls me that is -"

"How I know doesn't matter," River paused, her smile both mysterious and sympathetic. "What does matter is that you're finally going to face how you feel about Conny – the man, not the captain."

"_C-conny_? You know how I feel!" Gadget spluttered defensively. "He's mean, and he's cheap, and he's insultin'! It's true I used to kinda think I – well, he's always been handsome. But he only keeps me around 'cause he don't have to pay me Guild rates. We fight constantly, and he never even wanted me on his ship! How can you think I could possibly have any feelin's about a man like that? Could you?"

River laughed again, and reached over to hug her friend tightly. "A man like that? Of course I could. Gadget, I _married_ him."

" – so's I gotta be real careful about vittles 'n' such, since I got a delicate constitution and all. Damp lung, ya know," confided the Amazon as she powered down yet another whole pickled egg.

Connor, his eyes at nipple level of the huge bosom before him, belonging to a female who had introduced herself only as "Jaynie's sister, Matt," lifted his brows at that pronouncement. Delicate constitution? She was easily the largest creature in the room…she made Jayne look like a member of the flying elf brigade in comparison.

"A lady does have to be mindful of her fragile health," he concurred, with covert irony.

Matt nodded heartily in agreement, taking a vigorous slug of some alcoholic beverage, the fumes of which were causing Connor's eyes to sting.

"So how d'ya know Jayne and River, Con?" she continued conversationally.

"I don't," he wheezed, edging back a bit. "I was lured here by calumny and false pretences and then abandoned." He wondered how they'd gotten from "Captain Connor Mirth" to "Con" in less than sixty seconds of conversation.

"Calamities and pretendin's?" She frowned, puzzled.

"Close enough. I was under the impression that I was attending a lecture on navigation," he shrugged. "And now my –" he paused, and thought of all those giggling women who'd been following him around. Better have a shield, just in case. "– date's gone off."

Gadget had been dragged away by an exuberant person named Kaylee almost as soon as they'd arrived at the wedding reception, held onboard _Serenity_, which was set down, illegally, he noted, a short distance from the quaint little church. The young women had since vanished upstairs with the bride for some mysterious female ritual, and he hadn't seen his pilot since. He could only imagine the squealing giggle-fest that was happening somewhere on the ship.

"A lecture on -" Matt gave a snorting chortle that turned into a roar of laughter. "You're a stitch, Con!"

"Indeed. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to refresh my drink. It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss…Matt." Connor bowed slightly.

"You, too! Hey, don't even think about leavin' until we get a chance to jaw some more!" she grinned, her blue eyes twinkling.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"And maybe take a turn on the dance floor!"

"Ah…my thoughts anticipating that eventuality are…indescribable."

Matt beamed, and Connor's bow deepened as he eased away.

The big cargo hold had been emptied and swept clean, and paper lanterns and sparkling lights had been strung all around. Rollicking music blared from some unseen source. Tables full of food and drink lined one wall, well-visited by representatives of the groom's family. All of them, not only Matt, could be termed as expansive.

"Monty!" He heard Jayne exclaim as another gargantuan and his followers stomped their way up the ramp. The two men shook hands enthusiastically, accompanied by vigorous slapping of shoulders. "Didn't see ya at the church!"

"How could you miss him?" Connor muttered to himself.

"The lord stays offa my patch, 'n' I stay offa his," the big man grinned through his resplendent moustache. "But I never miss a chance at free drink and grub. Lemme introduce some o'my crew what ya ain't been acquainted to…"

Connor wandered over to look at the food offerings again, and sipped his drink for something to do. He nibbled on a savory little tidbit made of protein and gave it a mental stamp of approval. Someone on this ship knew their way around cheap protein. He'd have to ask who it was, and if they had any other tips for stretching out the food budget.

As he ate he looked around with a critical eye. He'd always admired the classic, efficient lines of a Firefly. This ship could use a little sharpening up, but, all in all, it was surprisingly well-maintained. Some parts looked brand new, indicating recent renovation, and suddenly he remembered that tragedy had visited this vessel not that long ago. What he was seeing was probably the result of extensive repair.

His gaze traveled thoughtfully across the open space to the captain of _Serenity_, who'd come up to speak with Jayne and Monty. He'd met Reynolds briefly near the receiving line, and they'd sized each other up beneath the introductory niceties. The captain was sharper than his blandly handsome exterior would warrant, and cleverer than he liked people to guess, Connor decided. Though Reynolds had complained widely about the wrongness of the marriage and the anticipated negative effects it would have on the functioning of his ship, he couldn't completely conceal his affection for both his gruff cargo hand and his replacement pilot. Although Connor hadn't known Washburn as intimately as Gadget had, he'd known enough to respect him and value his opinion and intelligence. It must have been an extraordinarily difficult thing, losing such a man… He also recalled that Washburn's widow was a member of this crew. His eyes sought out Zoë Washburn, chatting casually with a small group of guests, an occasional smile lifting the cool set of her attractive features. Connor's resentment lessened a fraction at having been dragged to the festivities. These people deserved an occasion of joy.

He sidled over to look at the wedding cake, the usual tiered, white-frosted affair. He leaned in closer and squinted at the little bride and groom figurines decorating the top layer, bound together with an odd-colored bow that looked like some sort of shoe string. He shook his head a little in bafflement, then turned his head as he sensed someone come up beside him. A good-looking young man stood there, clad in a dark suit of superfine wool, of a quality not generally found in these parts. The well-dressed man was contemplating the cake with a resigned expression. He met Connor's eyes, noted the look of confusion, and nodded.

"Yes, it's a bootlace," he confirmed with a glum shrug. "Apparently it carries some sentimental meaning for them. Simon Tam, ship's physician." He held out his hand. "And brother of the bride."

"Connor Mirth, of the _Herne_. Pleased to meet you, Dr. Tam." They shook hands, with Connor thinking that this crew couldn't get any stranger. It was significantly odd that a fully-fledged doctor, of apparent means, had been relegated to a position on a small ship like _Serenity_. Connor couldn't help but wonder if in the past some very important person under Dr. Tam's care had suffered an unfortunately fatal mishap.

"Ah, the _Herne_. Gadget's ship," Simon nodded. "River is very happy that Gadget was able to be here."

"_You_ don't seem all that happy to be here," Connor observed bluntly. They turned to view Jayne, in the middle of a whooping crowd, head tilted back, tie stripped haphazardly to the side, and muscular throat working as he and Monty participated in some sort of drinking contest. "Not exactly everything you wanted for your sister?"

"Perhaps not," Simon admitted, eyeing the raucous display. "But I'm trying to remain optimistic." He levered a sideways look at Connor. "He's surprised me favorably on more than one occasion."

"Hmm," Connor's eyebrows rose cynically as Jayne finished off his mug of brew, smeared the foam from his upper lip with his sleeve, and tipped the empty vessel over with a triumphant grin. The spectators roared their approval, and Simon winced.

"My fiancée, Kaylee, and I have been engaged for almost a year. I never thought my little sister would get married first," Simon remarked. "And I certainly never imagined that Jayne would agree to –" the doctor broke off as a scruffy man, an odd bowler titled rakishly on his head, lurched into him from the other side.

"Oi! Iz you then, Doc. Hey, Doc. Doc, _you_ knows hows I feel about 'er!" He slung his arm around Simon's shoulder, rambling in bleary inebriation. "I coulda put up wif losin' 'er to jus' about anybody else, y' know? Coulda put up wif it if it hadda been some _toff_. But 'im? That big, stupid, selfish bastard…" he trailed off, giving several pathetic sniffs.

"You've been reading my diary, Badger…" Simon murmured dryly, a look of vague distaste crossing his features as he attempted to disengage from the drunk's sloppy embrace.

"It's a rotten ol' world, innit, Doc…" Badger started to slide down Simon's body to the floor.

"Stimulants for you, I think," Simon gave a strained smile as caught and hoisted the inebriated man up against his side. He looked at Connor and shook his head with resigned humor.

"Need a hand?" Connor asked.

"I've got it." Simon secured the man's arm over his shoulder and turned them awkwardly towards the infirmary. "Badger," the doctor said as they set off, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Just then there was a small ripple of excitement in the crowd and Connor looked up to the catwalk to see the bride, now more casually dressed, descending, arms locked companionably with the bubbly Kaylee and a more familiar figure.

As always, he had to curb the tendency to smile a little when he saw Gabrielle Padgett. She was the liveliest - most _alive_ - person he had ever known. Her hazel eyes glowed a little brighter, her smile was a little warmer, and her laugh just a little more infectious than anyone else's. Her interest in and concern for others was as spontaneous and genuine as her delight in the silly pranks she continually devised to plague his days and nights. Her piloting skills were impressive, and she loved the challenge of navigating her way among the stars. She had friends all over the 'verse, and her far-flung contacts had been beneficial to the _Herne_ on more than one occasion.

Her desire to cross three quadrants of space to attend her friend's wedding didn't surprise him, but he was annoyed that she hadn't felt she could be honest with him about what she wanted. If only she'd told him the truth, or included him in her plans. He'd have said no on principle, of course. But somehow he would have figured out a profitable reason for them to move to this sector, and developed the necessary outlines and fuel requisitions and presented them to the corporation beforehand. As it stood now, deft explanations and creative, retroactive programming awaited him once they were back on-ship. He sighed a little, still staring up at her. She drove him crazy. It was infuriating that she treated him as either a bad-tempered tyrant to be avoided or an especially gormless school prefect who needed to be cajoled and worked on and manipulated. In turn, this attitude always made him treat her like a recalcitrant child, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted. He wanted their relationship to be one of adults, of fellow professionals, of…friends. He shook his head despairingly. He wanted to be more than friends, if he were honest with himself.

Gadget, who had been scanning the crowd below, caught his attention and held it. There was an extra brilliance in her expression, and he could have sworn that her mouth trembled a bit as she looked down at him. The whole room sharpened and his heart began to beat faster suddenly. Someone jostled him from behind, breaking the connection between them. When he looked up again, the moment was lost, and she merely waved and mouthed out, "Okay?"

Connor nodded numbly in response, watching her sway down the steps, her little beaded top glittering in the fairy lights and her black skirt flouncing around the smooth, café-au-lait skin of her thighs. A welcome change from the usual t-shirts and grey canvas cargo pants she usually sported. With her hair pulled back like that she looked sophisticated, she looked festive…she looked sexy as hell.

He averted his eyes, afraid she would glance over again and see him ogling her. The thirteen years between them loomed large in his mind. How long had he been interested in her romantically? Two years? He wasn't quite sure. He'd known her since she was seventeen, of course, when he'd been posted to the _Herne_ and been given the task of taking the failing ship, one of the worst equipped and staffed, and turning it into a profitable addition to the fleet. The youngest full captain in the Guild, he had been well aware that his assignment to the _Herne_, a flying bag job destined for the scrap heap, was intended to be retribution by his superiors for the arrogance of his swift flight up the ranks. As they snickered into their sleeves and waited for his inevitable failure, he'd vowed that he'd turn the old Veeg into a top ship of the line. He'd soon discovered that the _Herne_ had been kept functional by the only worthy member of the crew: the mechanic, Dell Padgett, with the assistance of his pretty and vivacious daughter. She had been living onboard in blatant disregard for Guild law, and Connor had demanded that Dell find alternate living arrangements for her immediately. Dell had politely informed him that where his daughter went, he went, and that had been the end of the argument. This flaunting of regulations had discomfited Connor and he had made his resentment known by his frosty, disapproving attitude towards the girl. It had been subversive warfare between them from that moment on… Gadget's pranks were her passive-aggressive punishment, he supposed, for committing the crime of not wanting her there.

But eventually he'd come to grips with the fact that he did want her. She stirred something to life inside of him, triggered a flamboyant happiness that he had never experienced before. When had that become love? Probably the morning he'd let his eyes drift open, sleepily enjoying a peaceful floating sensation…until he'd awakened sufficiently to understand that the floating sensation was real. He'd sat up too suddenly, and dumped himself out of his bed and head-first into two feet of cold, murky water. Shocked and coughing, he'd emerged to see that _someone_ – not a long list – had replaced his regular mattress with an air mattress, and then, sometime during the sleep cycle, had sealed off his hatch and flooded his quarters. He'd been furious, absolutely enraged; it had been the last straw. He'd started to stumble to his feet, swearing and intent upon finding her and _throttling_ her, when a flash of movement in the water had startled him. He'd followed the motion with his eyes and realized it was a large koi. And there had been another one. And another one. In the corner were floating water plants: lily pads, complete with flowers. She'd turned his bunk into a…a…goldfish pond. It was so ludicrous, so completely insane, that he'd found himself laughing, and marveling that she'd put so much time and energy into the prank's execution, into the minute details. _This_, he'd thought to himself, _is a woman I could love_. And a second later, he'd realized that there was no could about it.

Her father, Dell, well aware of Connor's feelings, was thoroughly amused at his captain's uncharacteristic hesitancy regarding a romantic overture to Gadget. But Dell, declining to get involved in the matter, did warn him that his vivacious young daughter, barely out of her teens, might not be interested in a serious relationship with a) her boss and b) a man thirteen years her senior. So Connor suffered ill-temperedly while Gadget teased and flirted with every member of his crew…waiting for the day when she might realize he could be more to her than a stern taskmaster or the butt of her jokes.

Connor's gaze shifted over and he studied the bride, River, as the trio stepped onto the main floor. He'd heard Gadget refer to her by several nicknames, but River suited her very well. She moved with a sinuous grace that reminded him of slowly flowing dark water. Her calm face and elegant carriage gave an initial impression of maturity, but it was obvious that as lovely and self-possessed as she was, she was also very young. He frowned a little, watching Jayne come forward to take his wife in his arms.

_These two seem to have bypassed the age difference without serious qualms_, Connor thought sullenly, although he knew it wasn't that uncommon in the rougher, frontier atmosphere of the Rim, where the scarcity of suitable mates made for interesting pairings. But this was a true love match, if the besotted expressions on the faces of the newlyweds were anything to go by.

As Jayne and River began to sway together in their first dance, Gadget maneuvered her way towards him.

"Havin' fun?" Gadget inquired, laughing lightly. She could see Connor's scowl.

"If I am, it's on no account of yours," he returned coolly.

"Oh, don't be mad!" she begged. "You can yell at me all ya want when we get home. But it's the first time Rivet and I ever had the chance to talk face-to-face, and maybe the last time ever. Don't begrudge me that." She hesitated for just a second, then curled her arm through his and looked up at him with a playfully pouty mouth and puppy dog eyes. "Pax?"

"The food's not bad," he relented. "But that punch is suspect. I think the main ingredient is coolant." He was gratified by her warm, possessive touch, but also slightly distrustful. "What trickery is this?" he asked bluntly, indicating their entwined arms. "What do you want now?"

"To dance?" she asked, almost shyly.

Connor paused, and thought back to that shining glance she'd sent him a moment ago. There was something in her voice, something in her expression… a new awareness… It was almost as if…no, he was kidding himself.

"Is it safe?" he questioned warily, lifting his eyes to the vaulted upper hull of the Firefly, checking for buckets of syrup, chicken feathers, sequins, perma-glue…the usual.

"No tricks!" she assured him, her eyes twinkling.

"All right, then," he said reluctantly. He allowed her to pull him out into the space cleared for dancing, where others had joined Jayne and River, moving leisurely to the slow tempo of an old ballad.

He didn't know what to do with his hands. He was proficient at formal dancing, not as adept at this casual sort of movement. He looked surreptitiously at the other couples nearby. The newlyweds were practically plastered together. Reynolds had his arms around a beautiful dark-haired woman he hadn't met. She had her hands linked around Reynolds's neck, her head resting against his heart as she closed her eyes in contentment.

Gadget solved the problem for him by stepping in and putting her hands up to his shoulders, allowing his to fall naturally to her tiny waist. He was not a large man, but touching her like this made him realize how diminutive she was.

They shuffled together for an awkward moment, until Connor made his decision. They were far from the _Herne_. This was a time-out-of-time; an occasion where the normal rules of conduct could be set aside. The Guild regulations regarding fraternizing with crew didn't apply, since technically she wasn't an employee of the Guild and he had taken great pains to keep her that way. He pulled her forward and closed the gap between them. As their bodies met, his arms slid around her closely, low on her back. There was nothing that could be construed as formal or impersonal about this position and he waited with bated breath to see what her response would be.

"That's better," she sighed as she looped her arms around his shoulders and clasped them behind his neck.

"Yes," he agreed quietly, relaxing.

They danced slowly, acclimating to one another. It was distinctly odd, learning new things about someone you knew so well. He hadn't known that being so close to her would allow him to determine the delicate floral notes of her perfume, or experience how soft the fly-away ends of her crimped hair felt against his chin, or underscore how well she fit in his arms.

"Do you want to hear something funny?" Gadget asked suddenly.

"Must I?" he replied, in all seriousness. This moment was too perfect to waste on one of her jokes.

"My friend Rivet over there actually thinks you're in love with me." Gadget gave an edgy laugh. "_Feng le_, huh?"

Connor's feet stopped moving for a second, and his arms tightened in astonishment.

"Is it?" he replied stiffly, unable to look at her, trying to assess whether her reaction to River's observation was favorable or not.

"Well, you and…me. That's nuts, right?" Gadget kept her eyes fixed firmly on his front pocket.

Connor blinked rapidly, and his pulse kicked into overdrive. She didn't sound like she thought it was nuts. Was it possible…? He was still looking over Gadget's shoulder, and he realized that River, her head pillowed on Jayne's chest, was staring at him with an expectant smile. She caught his eye meaningfully and lifted her head.

"_Tell her_," River mouthed very deliberately.

Tell her! Tell her? Was it that easy?

"River is correct," he blurted out before he could think better of it, pushing Gadget away in order to look down into her startled face. "I am in love with you, and have been for years."

Gadget stared up at him, her face blank with surprise. Connor quailed inwardly as he realized he'd been completely wrong and foolish and she'd never _dream_ of… That thought process came to an end as he saw tears well up and pool over her dark lashes.

"Don't…don't tease me!" Gadget gave a soft sob, still searching his expression. "If you want to get back at me for all the pranks or whatever, think of some other way!"

Connor gave a small gust of relieved laughter. Happiness began to unfurl in his heart and suffuse throughout his entire body. He caught her chin in his hand as she started to pull away in embarrassment.

"Tease you, Gabrielle?" he said gently. "How is that possible? I have no sense of humor, as you reaffirm daily." His fingers slid tenderly along the sensitive line of her jaw, brushing aside the moisture on her cheeks, one after the other.

"Connor…" she whispered his name in wonderment, gazing into eyes. Not Cap'n Jolly, not Cap'n Bag o' Laughs, not Mirthless, not Con Everythin', Pro Nothin', not Con-an the Bore-arian…just…Connor.

He wasn't sure who moved first, but it didn't matter. Their mouths came together in an eager, breathless kiss that went on and on. Finally, he lifted his head, trying to get his heart rate under control.

"Did that convince you?"

"Since I know how ya feel about public displays of affection, you really must be madly in love with me!" Gadget sang out giddily.

Now conscious that they were attracting amused and indulgent attention, Connor edged them to the fringes of the dancing area, then threaded his fingers through Gadget's and wended his way through the crowd to a darkened corner. He pulled her, laughing and gasping, into his arms, where he was able to kiss her properly.

They held each other close, dazed with delight at the turn of events.

Gadget tightened her arms around his neck and rubbed her cheek against the starched front of his shirt.

"Why didn't ya ever say anythin'?" she whispered.

"I would have told you long ago, but I was dissuaded by your father. He didn't think you would be interested in an older man…" Connor explained huskily.

"My father!" Gadget craned her head back and stared up at him. "But he knew how I… My father told me that you would never be interested in such a silly, flighty piece as me! He's probably been laughin' his _pi gu_ off all this time. Oh, I'm gonna _kill_ him!"

"You came by your prankster streak honestly, I see," Connor began to chuckle. "But I understand Dell's reasoning. He must have wanted us to be sure. He must have wanted to see if this was something real or if it would fade away over time..."

"But it didn't," said Gadget emphatically. "It just got worse the more I tried to make it go away. Didn't ya ever wonder why all my pranks involved you? At least then you'd yell at me instead of givin' me the freeze."

"It was difficult to be around you," Connor admitted. "You were always flirting with one of the Johnnies or the Donnies..."

"Only when you were watchin'. Those boys were pretty confused." Gadget wrinkled her nose charmingly.

"They won't be any longer." He gave her a leisurely kiss.

"So are you glad you decided to follow along to the federally-mandated lecture on navigation?" Gadget teased him, sighing with happiness.

"Yes."" He held her close, his forehead touching hers. "If only all your deceptions ended so happily, and with such little mess and destruction."

"Rivet is gonna tease me forever about this," Gadget declared with resignation. "But I guess I deserve it since I been takin' all the credit for gettin' her and Jayne together."

"She must have known already. You must have said something…"

"Nope, never!" Gadget shook her head in amazement. "I'm beginnin' to think that girl can read minds!"

Chinese:

_go se_ – shit

_gong zhu_ – princess

_feng le_ – crazy 


	4. Ever After

**Author's Chapter Notes:**  
Jayne and River begin their honeymoon. WAFFY-ness.

**Disclaimer:** The wonderful characters of Firefly and the good ship Serenity all belong to Joss Whedon, or Mutant Enemy, or Fox, or whoever actually owns them, and that person or entity is definitely not me. Written for amusement purposes only. No copyright infringement intended or implied. Any original characters are mine, I suppose, unless any of the above would like to make use of them. Fair is fair.

**Rating:** E

**Captured **

Chapter Four: Ever After

Jayne loved the sound of her laughter. Of all the things he conjured he'd ever love about a woman that was about last on the list. Tits, legs, and a keenness to let him spend lengthy amounts of time between both was generally what he thought he'd appreciate most, but it was the silvery pealing laughter of his wife that jarred his heart and made him fall in love with her all over again. She was laughing now, and it made something inside him dance.

"Higher!" The River-sized bundle squeaked from the folds of the hammock as it sailed enthusiastically into the air.

"Gonna flip inside out if ya swing all the way around," Jayne warned, huffing slightly as he used both hands to elevate her even further. She was reaching the upper level of the arc…he wondered if she _would_ make the full revolution. "Lungs and ribs and innards all over the place…and it's hell to get blood outta this mesh."

"Old wives' tale! Physiologically impossible!" River's muffled voice scoffed happily. "Put some effort into it, _ai ren_."

Jayne grinned a little, and complied.

After the wedding party, the captain had put Serenity down not far from the wooded clearing where they'd parked her in the spring. Eager for some privacy during their honeymoon, Jayne and River had decided a short camping trip would be the most economical way to spend a few days alone. While Serenity ferried the Cobb family members back to their home moon, the newlyweds intended to enjoy the quiet beauty of Beylix in the autumn, with its warm days and crisp nights, fragrant pine groves and hardwood trees edging into gold and red, the leaves just beginning to spin lazily to the grassy turf.

They'd hiked the through the woods to the little area by the stream where Jayne had camped before, confirmed by the fact that the ring of stones from his original fire pit was still in place. Jayne had wanted to get a fire going and get the encampment set up and squared away before nightfall, but River had insisted on dragging out the hammock first thing.

"Almost there!" River gave a shriek as she crested the apogee. "Yes!" her triumphant cry turned into a high-pitched squawk of alarm as the shifting tension on the far ends of the sling caused the hammock to twist unexpectedly and she began to tumble out.

"Hell!" Jayne moved forward, reaching out his arms instinctively and grabbing whatever part of her he came into contact with first: a forearm, a hank of hair, her shoulder and one thigh. The impact knocked Jayne to the cool, loamy ground, River sprawled half on top of him. They lay there, momentarily stunned.

"Wasn't that fun," Jayne remarked eventually, with a dry wheeze.

River began to laugh helplessly, rolling off him and onto her knees. She looked down at him, her eyes shining.

"It was, actually. Thank you for catching me." She splayed her hands flat across his chest and leaned forward to kiss him.

"Always will," he murmured as their lips met.

He slid one hand around to caress the nape of her neck, holding her head in place. The other hand planed down her back and shifted her over him, pulling her into a deeper kiss and urging her body flush with his. He draped her across his chest and looked at her hungrily.

"You got what you wanted, now how's about I get what _I _want?" he asked, his voice husky. He used his long fingers to comb the hair away from her face so that he could see her expression.

River smiled down at him hesitantly. "I don't know if I'm going to like the taste. I might…gag."

"You liked everythin' else we done, right?" Jayne murmured persuasively, wrapping both arms around her and cupping her bottom with his large hands.

"Yes…" River admitted, stroking his cheek. "I suppose new experiences are good for the soul."

"And the body," Jayne chuckled avidly. "Let's get to it."

"They're such an odd shade of red…and the shape is strange…so bulbous…" River wrinkled her nose and leaned in a little closer to Jayne's lap, peering down intently. "They look swollen."

"Go ahead and grab 'em…roll 'em around in your hands to ease 'em up…just like that…yeah…some women like to suck on 'em…"

"Maybe later…I'm sort of massaging the skin around them…is this right?"

"Yeah… that's it…" Jayne murmured distractedly.

"How long should I keep doing this?"

"Just a little longer…that's good, honey…"

"Oops, I let one go. It's just bouncing around down there." River's fingers brushed his inner thigh as she reached forward.

"Let me get my meat out of the way…" Jayne edged back a little.

"Should I stab them?"

"What?" Jayne glanced up quickly.

"Should I poke the sticks through them now?" River held up the odd-looking tomatoes, grown in Mother Cobb's own garden.

"Naw, I'll do it. Push the onions closer, too. Could ya grab the pepper and the garlic salt? And while you're over there, cake me."

River obligingly moved over to break off a large piece of the wedding cake slice sitting on a circle of waxed paper. She leaned forward and popped it into Jayne's waiting mouth. She licked the frosting off her fingers, collected the requested spices, and shuffled nearer on her knees.

"I didn't think I was going to like mutton shish-kebab, but it does smell delicious. I can't believe your mother brought the ingredients all the way from home," she chattered, handing Jayne the items. She settled against his shoulder, watching as he finished putting the last chunk of meat on the last skewer. He stacked the emptied bowls between his knees and set them aside, and then wiped his hands clean. There were cheesy potatoes bubbling in a little metallic pouch at the edge of the fire, and the seasoned meat and vegetables were sizzling on skewers suspended on a simple rack angled away from the flames.

"I love when you cook for me," River sighed happily, shivering a little. The sun had begun to set and the evening chill was setting in.

"I love when I cook for _me_. I'm starvin'. Barely got anythin' at all to eat at the weddin'. Folks talkin' at me all the time," Jayne grumbled, but he pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head.

"Your caloric intake was sufficient if alcohol is taken into account. Who _did_ win that mudder's milk imbibing competition? Was it you?" River chuckled. "I noticed Monty took the keg with him."

"Mattie. Best weddin' present ever," Jayne recalled with satisfaction. "But I'm still hungry."

"Don't worry. Between your mother and Kaylee we have enough leftover food to last us for weeks. It was a nice wedding, wasn't it?" River reflected wistfully, staring into the flickering flames. "I think everyone had a good time."

Jayne gave an assenting grunt, leaning forward to turn the kebabs. "Stayed long enough."

"I can't believe Gadget was able to come!" River enthused. "It was wonderful to meet her in person. And the infamous Cap'n Jolly, too! He wasn't at all what I imagined."

"Didn't seem too happy to be there."

"Not at first, but his mood significantly improved," she smiled.

"Engine wine'll do that to ya."

"Among other things." River gave a delighted laugh and snuggled closer. "What was your favorite part of the day?"

"Sexin' ya in that hammock," Jayne said slyly.

"Are _you_ psychic, now?"

"It's infectious. Caught it from my wife."

"Your _wife_…" River responded archly, stifling a yawn. "…thinks you're optimistic. She's exhausted."

Jayne was amused. "I know my wife. She's been thinkin' about sexin' in that hammock for weeks."

"She has," River confessed. "But maybe a nap first."

"Food, sleep, sex, got it. No complaints here." He put his arm around her.

The roasting meat dripped juices down into the fire, igniting the fat and causing the flames to lurch up too close the skewers. Jayne dodged in and began plucking the kebabs from the rack.

"Share these out while I get the spuds," he instructed her, dumping them on a small platter and using a long-handled fork to drag the pouch of potatoes out of the embers. He dished up a moment later, sliding the fragrant bites of meat and vegetables from the skewers with his knife, and they ate companionably together.

Jayne looked at River's plate, scraped clean.

"Guess ya liked mutton after all."

"It was a little tough, but the way it was flavored was delicious," River decided, sipping the ginger-flavored water that was another Cobb tradition. "Mutton was a dietary staple while you were growing up? You consumed it frequently?"

"Yep – about a hunnert sheep for every human on that moon. I could shear in my sleep – just about the shittiest work in the 'verse. Couldn't wait to get outta there." Jayne handed her his dirty dishes. "I cooked – you clean."

River nodded, that was fair, and began to gather the greasy utensils. She paused to wipe her fingers on a cloth and then stopped, rubbing her fingertips together thoughtfully.

"Did you ever think that your cooking lesson would lead to this?" She smiled at him.

Jayne reached for her hand, turning her palm up and sliding his hand along hers, lacing their fingers together and tightening their clasped flesh.

"I knew from the moment I first saw ya…I knew there was something…" he paused. "Crazy or not, you got to me, an' I didn't much like it. By the time I faced up to it, I never thought you'd go for me."

"I went," she laughed softly, tugging him to her. They kissed, hands entwined, remembering the wonder of their first embrace.

"You willin' to flip the schedule?" Jayne murmured against her mouth. "Hammock time?" He kissed her again, a ginger-scented inducement.

"What about the dishes? And the tent? You said animals would –" River backed away slightly.

"They can wait. Critters won't come close while the fire is still built up like that, and we'll do the tent tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll keep ya warm." He attempted to pull her down right there, but River resisted. Jayne collapsed onto his back with a frustrated moan.

"Hammock, remember? Let me get some blankets," River said breathlessly, scuttling to her feet. She made her way to their packs and began rooting around for the thin, extra-warm blankets that Jayne had stuffed in with the tent supplies. As she yanked them free, a small, glistening box tumbled out and rolled across the ground with a merry clatter.

River stared at it, surprised.

"Look, Jayne, Gadget's present to us. She showed it to me while I was changing out of my wedding dress. She must have seen the bags and put it in... She wanted us to open it together." River folded the blankets over her arm and bent down to retrieve the traditionally-wrapped box, gleaming with a silver bow and iridescent roses. "I wonder what it could be."

Jayne heaved himself up on his elbows and grunted suspiciously. "I got notions. How about a whoopee cushion? A can a peanuts with a sprung-up snake inside?_ Anthrax_?"

River smiled, sliding off the ribbon and using her thumbnail to cut through the thin film at the crease. As she moved slowly back towards Jayne she tore away the rest of the wrapping to reveal a plain plastic container. She paused to lift the lid and examine the items tucked inside. There was a note, a small stack of info-sticks, and a cloth sack. River took it in her hand and heard the clink of hard money.

"Well?" Jayne demanded curiously, sitting forward, his eyes lighting up at the sound of cash. River tossed him the bag and he weighed it in his hand, smiling approvingly at the heft of it.

River's brow creased with amused inquiry as she lifted out Gadget's note and began to read. After a second she burst out laughing.

"You're not going to be pleased," she predicted.

"Don't matter, if it comes with this much money. I _am_ beginning to like that girl." Jayne tipped the coins into his palm greedily.

"These are order requests and cash advances," River giggled. "Jayne-bot …she actually _sold_ you!"

– FIN –

**Chinese:**

_ai ren_ - spouse/husband/wife/sweetheart

**Chapter End Notes:**

A/N: As always, thanks for reading! Hope it made you _smile_. Gem 


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